


I'll Be Your Secret

by youoldstudmuffinyou



Series: The Secrets Series [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Eventual Smut, Fluff and Smut, Gay Keith (Voltron), Hunk & Lance (Voltron) Friendship, Idiots in Love, Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Keith/Lance (Voltron) Angst, Love Confessions, Love Triangles, Love at First Sight, M/M, Pansexual Shiro (Voltron), Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-24
Updated: 2018-05-24
Packaged: 2019-05-13 09:41:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 50,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14746439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youoldstudmuffinyou/pseuds/youoldstudmuffinyou
Summary: Keith has never been in a serious, public relationship. All throughout high school, he had secret relationships with self conscious insecure straight boys looking for a homosexual experience. So naturally when Lance comes in the picture offering something different, it's hard for Keith to wrap his mind around the fact that someone actually wants him and isn't ashamed to love him publicly.





	1. Thirteen and A Half Times

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my second fic ever! This was a headache but I'm glad I actually finished. And of course I had to make it a series with multiple chapters because I hate my life and what is sleep?
> 
> But anyway I hope you enjoy this slice-of-life college AU featuring my favourite gays in space! (Also there were no tags for love squares...like why not? Those are my jam!)

“Do it! Do it!” The collection of chanting voices pumped Lance's blood as he stood on the table, sweat lining his face. Nyma, his girlfriend, glared at him as another cute blonde with a tight crop top poured alcohol down his throat. The girl pressed her boobs against Lance as he chugged the toxic liquid. He was grinning ear-to-ear from all of the attention he was getting from his fellow Garrison classmates but remained oblivious to the scorning glare from Nyma, her arms crossed and her lips thinned into a line.

A few seconds later, the crowd of raging partygoers cheered as Lance finished the whole bottle. “Woo!” He shouted with fists pumped into the air. The blonde kissed Lance on the cheek and Lance giggled, leaning toward her. He almost kissed her back if Nyma hadn't immediately pulled him down from the table.

“Lance! What the hell?”

“Oh d-don't worry about it, baby.” He slurred. “I have tons of love for my m...main l-lady.” He sloppily shot her finger guns and she rolled her eyes. “What's wrong?” He stood up straighter, finally noticing she was pissed.

“Getting wasted is one thing but I won't sit here and watch you make out with other girls!” She grabbed his wrist and pulled him through the tight space of drunken college students until they made it to the front door of the frat house.

Lance dug his heels into the ground to stop them and Nyma glanced back. “We're not leaving, are we? We just started having fun.” He pouted.

“ _I'm_ leaving. That means you do too if I'm your designated driver.” She didn't wait for his protests. She yanked his arm and he flopped after her, too tired and too unfocused to fight her. Nyma dragged him across the courtyard to the lot where her car was parked. Lance giggled when she shoved him into the backseat.

“I ever tell you, you're hot when you're mad?” Lance asked, struggling to sit up, throwing his arms over Nyma in the driver's seat.

Nyma groaned and started the car. “All the time, Lance.” She pulled out of the parking lot. “That should tell you how pissed I am every time I'm with you.” She mumbled. Once she reached a red light, she glanced back when she didn't hear Lance’s remark to see he was sprawled out, mouth open and snoring. Nyma bit her lip in anger. “I don't even know why I fucking _do it!_ ” On purpose, she turned the car harshly, jerking Lance awake temporarily.

They reached Lance and Hunk’s apartment and Lance was still knocked out. Nyma was strong and Lance was skinny, but his long limbs proved a slight issue as she hauled his drunken ass to the front door. She dropped him on the stoop and impatiently pounded on the door.

Pidge answered dressed in an oversized Garrison t-shirt and boxers that could only be Hunk’s. “Nyma?” Her eyes grew wide when she saw her embarrassment of a friend slumped on the stoop. Pidge looked back to Nyma’s furious eyes.

“Whenever this drunk wakes up, tell his ass it's over! I'm done taking care of him!” Pidge knew Nyma didn't mean to yell at her, she just needed an outlet to get out her anger towards Lance. So she didn't take it to heart and just sighed.

“Yeah, yeah. I'll tell him.” Nyma didn't even say goodbye. She huffed back to her car and sped off without a word. Pidge slumped her shoulders and bent down to a snoring Lance. “Oh, Lance. What're we gonna do with you?”

“Who was at the door?” Hunk called from the kitchen. He and Pidge had been studying when they paused for a snack break. Hunk insisted on making brownies even though Pidge just wanted to get store bought ones.

“We gotta delivery!” She called. “You mind helping me bring it in?”

Hunk wiped his hands on his apron with a confused face. “It's 1 in the morning,” he began walking to the door, “why would there be-” He stopped when he saw Pidge crouched by Lance. Hunk sighed. “Dammit, again?” He came to the stoop and hoisted Lance into his arms.

“Yeah, again. _And_ Nyma told me to tell him it's over.” Pidge chuckled, following him into the house after closing and locking the door. Hunk smirked as he laid Lance down on their couch, the place where they were studying. Pidge moved the papers and laptops out the way as Hunk laid Lance's head down.

Hunk and Pidge stared down at their hopeless friend. He completely ruined their study session. “Dammit, Lance.” Pidge cursed under her breath when a timer went off.

“Ooh. Brownies are done.” Hunk moved to the kitchen. Pidge followed Hunk and leaned on the archway separating the kitchen from the living room. A thought popped into Pidge’s head and she smirked. She pulled her long hair into a high ponytail just the way Hunk likes it. She pressed her back against the archway, pulling her leg up to rest her foot on the opposite wall, simultaneously pulling the huge boxers up her smooth thigh. Of course, Hunk remained oblivious to this as he cooled off his brownies. Pidge rolled her eyes and coughed conspicuously, causing his head to pick up. “What’s u….p.” He knew exactly what was up.

“Well since Sir Drinks-A-Lot ruined our study session, I figure we can do something else with our time? It's too late for me to go home, don't you think?”

Hunk smirked. “Oh yeah? We could just study in my room.” He stepped closer to her until he had her pinned against the archway, her left leg still propped up on the opposite wall. She leaned up and wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders.

“I don't want to study anymore, Hunk.” She whispered closer to his face. He took her other leg and wrapped it around his waist. She chuckled and kissed him passionately as he pressed her further against the wall. They kept going until they heard Lance stirring in his sleep and Hunk reluctantly set her down.

“Let me just take care of him for a sec.” Hunk poured a glass of water and set it on the coffee table beside Lance. Then he got a blanket from the closet and fanned it around him. As soon as he did, Pidge hoisted herself around Hunk’s waist again, causing him to grunt and chuckle. “All right, Monkey, let’s go.” He waddled them to his bedroom with Pidge’s chin resting on his shoulder, smiling anxiously.  

Before he closed the door, she quietly mouthed to the unconscious boy on the couch. “Thanks, Lance.”

 

…

 

Shiro parked the car across from the school’s main courtyard. He sighed as he gathered a small briefcase that was filled with student council paperwork. He glanced over to the glum mullet-headed boy in the passenger seat. “Keith, I'm sorry. I just need to take care of this real quick and then we can get back to our night.”

Keith huffed out air, but Shiro smirked anyway. He cupped his hand behind Keith's head gently. Keith turned over and gave him a light hearted smile. “Just hurry up, okay?”

Shiro nodded and pulled Keith in by the grip he had on his neck, kissing him sweetly before pulling away. “I'll be quick.” Shiro dipped out of the car and hurried to the student council building to take care of an urgent matter. This usually happened when Keith was with Shiro. They'd be having a good time together when Shiro would have to be pulled away due to his responsibilities as either the student body president or his responsibilities as the head of the Big Brother program at the university. Keith usually didn't mind it. He understood that Shiro was an important guy and he needed to be places and see certain people.

Keith on the other hand only found sweet reprieve in boxing, the one thing he and Shiro had in common. And among all of his other responsibilities, Shiro was also Keith's personal boxing coach. They were in different schools in the university; Shiro was an upcoming international businessman (or humanitarian - he couldn't decide which one). And Keith wanted to be a pilot but because of a string of events his freshman year, he was now studying to become an engineer. They had different circles, different interests, and were two completely different people. But when they boxed and trained together, all of that didn't matter. Even with other people in the same gym as them, Keith was the only one that had Shiro’s attention and Keith loved that Shiro centered his focus solely on him, publicly, without it seeming weird.

But unfortunately, since Shiro was so well known in their school, involved in so many clubs (essentially the poster child for Altea University) _and_ he was Keith's coach, their relationship had to be private. Night was the only time they could ever really be together even if it was occasionally disrupted.

This night was no different. Duty called, Keith was placed as second as always. So if everything was the same, why did Keith have a painful tinge in his chest? Maybe because he thought tonight would've been different. Tonight, when Shiro's phone went off while they were at his apartment having a special dinner, he thought Shiro would've ignored it. He didn't think he would journey along with him back to the school to wait for him to do whatever the hell he needed to do.

Tonight marked one year since Shiro made his feelings known to Keith. One year of sneaking around, learning about each other, helping each other, loving each other. One whole year. This was the longest Keith had ever been in a relationship even if it was secret. He loved Shiro. He knew Shiro loved him, but yet…

A buzz from his pocket pulled him from his thoughts. It was a text from Shiro.

 **Shiro** (00:22) : I'm sorry, it's taking a little longer than expected. I promise I'll be out soon.

Keith rolled his eyes and put his phone back in his pocket. He got frustrated from time to time. Not just with Shiro but with himself. He allowed Shiro to hide him like an unwanted secret. He agreed to the terms. He accepted Shiro’s fear of his reputation being crumbled. And for what?

_Because I love him._

_And he loves me._

Keith shook his head. _But is love an excuse to be hidden?_

A vibrant laugh took his attention out the passenger window. A familiar pair was walking across the courtyard. A tall boy with shiny chocolate hair had an arm around a small girl with blonde hair. He was laughing loudly as they walked, most likely to the frat party he heard his classmates talking about earlier that week. The cute couple was none other than one of his classmates and annoying friend, Lance Mcclain. Knowing Lance, Keith guessed that he said something really unfunny and laughed as if he were some comedic genius. The fact that his girlfriend, Nyma, had a still face confirmed his point.

Keith rolled his eyes and watched them disappear to the party. Despite his frustrated feelings toward Lance, he liked that he wasn’t ashamed to flaunt Nyma. He talked about her, posted about her on social media, kissed her in public… but then again. Lance had nothing to be ashamed about with her. First of all, he was straight. Nyma was a pretty girl. Nothing was out of the usual.

_Would Lance still do that if he was with a guy? If he was with me? What if freshman year happened differently? What if i had just asked him to stay that night… Did he regret our kiss?_

Keith felt his cheeks warm up at the thought and quickly shut it out. Freshman year and his insta-crush on Lance was just a fluke. They had one night where he was sure Lance was a little too drunk. Keith told himself repeatedly when they first met: Lance was straight and he was done falling for straight guys. Also, there was no way he'd ever see himself with Lance. He's obnoxious and loud. He always breaks up and gets back together with his girlfriend. And he never took anything seriously. Quite frankly, he told himself he hated Lance. He wasn't sure how true that was, but Lance was a huge red flag and Keith avoided making a fool of himself ages ago.

Besides...Keith had Shiro. Shiro kisses him. Shiro takes him out to restaurants even if they're far from campus. Shiro makes love to him. Shiro loves him!

Keith groaned. “Why can't I just understand that?” Keith leaned back in his seat. He accepted it a long time ago. He could never have what Lance gave to Nyma. Keith will forever be hidden. He would never be loved openly. He'll just remain a secret forever. Keith willed himself not to cry. Instead, he let his eyes get droopy as he waited… and waited… and waited.

 

...

 

The sound of a door opening woke Keith up. He must've dozed off while waiting for Shiro, who was now putting on his seatbelt.

“I'm sorry-” Shiro began but Keith cut him off.

“Stop saying sorry.” He mumbled and sat up further in his seat. Shiro glanced over to him to see him pinching the bridge of his nose out of exhaustion. “I'm tired of waiting, Shiro.”

Shiro was about to turn the ignition, but paused, letting his hand slump in his lap. “I don't know what you want me to do, Keith.”

Keith's eyes widened. “I want you to not be fucking ashamed of me!”

“I'm not!” Shiro yelled then lowered his voice, ever the calm one. “Keith, I'm not ashamed of you. It's just…”

“It's other people. I know.” Keith glanced out the window. He wanted to just drop the conversation and pretend it didn't happen. Just go back to the way things were. But suddenly seeing Lance and Nyma again walking across the courtyard rose something inside of him. He didn't even notice that Lance was flat out drunk and Nyma was pissed, dragging him to the car. He just saw that Nyma was with him and he filled his head with thoughts of Lance showering her with affection all the time.

“It's not just other people…” Shiro began and Keith turned back to him. “It's me. I know. I'm afraid what that'll mean in my position. It's difficult as a leader to truly be yourself. I don't want to hide you, Keith.” He took his hand and kissed the back. “But I am thinking of ways to come out. It's just...scary.”

Keith slipped his hand from Shiro’s grasp. “I came out, too. I understand where you're coming from. But...it's been a year since we've been together. It just...doesn't feel like it's going anywhere.”

Shiro huffed. They sat in silence for a few minutes and Keith was a little disappointed that Shiro didn't say anything else until he finally opened his mouth. “I love you, Keith.”

“I love you, too.” Shiro tried to hold his hand again, but Keith moved it away. “Can you just take me home? Please.”

Keith couldn't remove the image of Shiro's hurt eyes from his mind. The car started up and Shiro took Keith home. Both completely in silence. Both tense. Both unsure of where their relationship was heading.

 

…

 

Lance woke up with a thumping headache. It didn't help that Pidge was screaming with joy around the living room hugging her phone. Lance willed himself to sit up and graciously took the aspirin and water Hunk had set out for him.

“Jeez, Pidge. Can you be any louder?” Lance grumbled. Pidge paused her happy dancing to stick her tongue at him then resumed dancing around the small living room, holding her phone in the air like it was a priceless artifact.

Hunk settled on the couch beside Lance with a fat, greasy breakfast burrito from Pepe’s, the food truck down the street from their apartment. It was Lance's only favorite part when recovering from a wicked hangover. Hunk gave him the burrito. Lance moaned.

“You're a saint, Hunk. Thank you!” He quickly unwrapped his burrito and took a piping hot bite as Pidge fell on the ground, but she was still too giddy to be embarrassed. She cradled her phone to her chest and happily kicked her feet in the air.

“She win the lottery?” Lance asked Hunk. He glanced over to him and he had a wide grin too, watching Pidge squeal on the floor.

“Close to it. You know that project we've been working on all semester? To get into the SoCal Tech Race?”

Lance munched on his burrito. “Mhhm.”

 _“Well_ , we got in.” Hunk announced sheepishly. Lance hooted, placing his precious burrito on the table.

“That's awesome, Hunk!” He glanced down to Pidge who looked like she died and went to heaven. “Pidge, congratulations!” Pidge squealed again, causing his head to pound. But he didn't care. He knew how hard his friends had worked on this project. Pidge basically lived with them now from late nights and early mornings perfecting their proposal. Lance wasn't even exactly sure what their project was, but he knew it was great. Hunk and Pidge were the smartest people he knew.

“Man! I don't know what to do with myself…” Pidge sighed, finally down from her high. “There's so much work to do until the finals in two weeks.” She pulled her head back to stare at Hunk upside down. “Hunk, it's gonna be like overdrive now.”

Hunk just smiled down at her. “I know.” His smile grew serious. “It's gonna be hell.” Pidge cracked a huge grin on her face as she shuffled onto the couch and then onto Hunk's lap.

“But the greatest hell. We did it, Hunk!” She sandwiched his face between her hands and kissed him. Lance groaned loudly and nibbled on his burrito. Pidge gave him an unamused smirk as she broke from Hunk. “Please, like you and Nyma don't suck face all the time.”

“It's not all the time!”

“Well it's definitely not anymore…” she muttered as she dismounted from straddling Hunk. Lance raised his eyebrow.

“What was that?” He asked her as she went into the kitchen to get herself breakfast. When she didn't answer him, Lance looked to a nervous Hunk. “What's she talking about?”

“Nyma broke up with you...again.” Hunk revealed. Lance vaguely remembered the party last night and almost kissing a girl that he swore was Nyma until she yanked him away. He does remember her being pissed off about it, too.

“Yep. Sounds about right.” Lance said and flopped back on the couch, scrolling through his phone. She didn't even text or call to see if he was okay. She usually did.

“You guys are weird.” Hunk said getting up to go to the kitchen. Pidge was on the phone excitedly talking to probably her mom or brother about the great news. “This is what, your tenth break up?” Hunk asked above Pidge's rambling voice.

“Thirteen and a half.” Lance called over the couch. He felt the question that Hunk was itching to ask. “Thirteen and a half because we didn't mean to break up last time. It lasted five mins.”

“Again. You guys are weird.” Hunk poured himself Fruity Pebbles before joining Lance back on the couch. “How long is this one gonna last?”

Lance was scrolling through his Instagram feed and paused when he saw a certain post from a certain class rival. “Looks like Mullet-Head has a boxing match coming up.” He studied the video of Keith punching the bag and skimmed over the caption again detailing the match’s time and date. His eyes wandered back up to Keith's upper body, fit snugly in a black tank, his muscles rippled with sweat. Lance slightly wished Keith would post a topless picture so he could see for himself just how cut his abs were. He wanted to see how deep-

“Lance?” Lance tore his eyes from the screen to Hunk’s mischievous grin. “See something you like?”

“Shut up, Hunk!” He locked his phone and slammed on the coffee table. Hunk giggled but Lance ignored it and hoisted his feet into Hunk's lap. “Anyway, what were you saying?”

“Well before you were ogling your Mullet-Head-” Lance kicked him and Hunk only laughed. “I was just asking...how long are you gonna drag this out with Nyma?”

Lance sighed. “I don't know… she deserves so much better.”

“She's crazy always coming back to you.” Hunk slurped his cereal. “Does she even know?” Lance raised his eyebrow in question. “You know…” Hunk gestured to Lance's phone.

Lance's face grew red and hot. “Hell no!” Then he thought it over. “She might have suspicions. I mean, she knows I support gay rights.”

“You can be straight and support it. But don't you think it's wrong to deceive her like that? You know...if you don't even like her that way...”

“Who said i didn't like her? I like girls, too, Hunk.”

“Poor us.” Pidge casually joined them back on the couch, remnants of a smile still on her face. Hunk laughed as Lance half heartedly chucked a pillow at her. She ducked it and chuckled. “I swear, Lance, I will scream at the top of my lungs just to fuck with your headache.”

They all laughed as Lance raised his hands in surrender. “Alright, alright Ms. Smarty Pants Tech Racer.”

“It's the SoCal Tech Race. And we didn't win yet.” Pidge clarified. “We just got accepted. We got a lot of work to do in the next couple weeks.” She slapped Hunk’s thigh and stood up. “Come on, Hunk.” She moved to the bathroom to take a shower.

“I'll be right there, babe.” Hunk called then sipped the rest of the milk from his cereal.

“You guys are seriously gonna take a shower together? You're so grossly domestic.”

Hunk laughed after finishing his cereal. He set his bowl on the table. “You should try it, Lance.” Hunk stood up. “But the question is, with who? Nyma? Or Kei-”

Lance tossed a pillow squarely at Hunk's face and laughed victoriously at his incredible aim. Hunk smirked and jumped on Lance, pinning his skinny body to the couch. “Ow! Okay Okay, Hunk i give!” Hunk stood back up and Lance coughed like he was dying. “Damn, how do you not crush Pidge during sex?”

“She's really flexible.” Hunk laughed.

“Hunk! Hurry up!” Pidge called from bathroom. Hunk wiggled his eyebrows.

“Speaking of which…” he went off to the bathroom and Lance groaned.

“Don't be fucking in the shower, you horny bastards!” Lance yelled but Hunk had already slammed the door. Lance sighed. Finally alone. Really alone. Nyma broke up with him...again. Did he even want her back? He could get her back if he wanted to.

Lance picked up his phone and unlocked it to stare at his biggest secret. The crushing feeling he gets in his chest every time he sees Keith Kogane. Hunk thinks it'll be easy. Just call it quits with Nyma then go ask Keith out. But what Hunk and everyone else in the school doesn't know is that Keith isn't single. He has someone already. And not just anyone. The super important and incredibly sexy upperclassmen, Mister Altea University himself, Takashi Shirogane. And there was no way in hell that Lance was going to come between them two.

 


	2. Spirit Week (One Year Ago)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter goes backward to one year ago when Shiro and Keith first got together. Shiro is a junior and Keith and the rest of the friend group are sophomores. I hope I don't confuse you too much. Let me know.

Keith hated social clubs. Most importantly, he hated pushy in-your-face clubs that try to pressure you into signing up. So why did he come out to the square again during Altea University’s spirit week? Oh yeah. Shiro.

Shiro was manning the student council booth, talking passionately to an underclassmen when Keith spotted him. Keith walked up to the booth but stopped to hover behind the small line of people in front of him, with a blue t-shirt nervously wringing in his hand. He didn't know why he was so anxious around Shiro lately. Something had been off about him. Keith couldn't put his finger on it, but the way Shiro would look at him. Certain things he would say. Keith thought it was strange and definitely not like him.

Shiro noticed him, anxiously contemplating behind the line of girls at the booth, most likely only there to stare and flirt with Shiro instead of actually wanting to sign. Upon seeing Keith, Shiro smiled. Fucking smiled the biggest, cheesiest grin and Keith's stomach did a flip. Shiro excused himself from the girl he was talking to and jogged up to Keith.

“Hey, glad you came.” Shiro slapped him endearingly on the shoulder. He saw the blue shirt wrapped in Keith's hand. “Oh thanks for bringing it.”

Keith finally snapped out of his head. “Oh right. Sorry.” He handed Shiro the shirt. “I didn't mean to take so long. I didn't really want to come.”

Shiro laughed. “I know.” And with absolutely no warning, Shiro stripped out of his student council t-shirt and Keith's face grew red hot. His brain slightly short circuited seeing up close and personal Shiro's abs and beautifully sculpted chest. He checked back into reality when he heard a group of nearby girls swoon. Shiro smirked and put on the blue Big Brothers shirt. “I gotta go help out at the Big Brothers booth.”

Keith's tongue felt like molasses. “O-okay. I'll see you around then.” He almost turned to leave, but Shiro stopped him.

“Wait, you're not gonna sign up for anything?” Keith gave him a scrunched face and Shiro laughed. “Sorry. I forgot people aren't your thing.”

“What gave you that idea?” Keith said sarcastically.

“I know you like action, though. What about any sports? I know it's not piloting, but there's football…”

“No.” Keith immediately stopped that train. Keith was in Altea University’s subschool, Garrison School for Engineering and Aviation. It had been a year since he was demoted from fighter-class pilot and placed as a simple engineer. Keith wanted to fly more than anything and he knew he’d be great at it, but since he lost his place in fighter class, he hadn't taken much interest in anything else. He knew Shiro meant well and wanted to see him do some extracurricular activity. But sports? Football? Hell no. He had his fair share of jocks from high school and their publicly homophobic ways.  “Could you imagine? A gay guy on the team? That wouldn't end well.”

Shiro winced, feeling terrible for bringing up bad memories. “Well… people are a lot more tolerable now. It's possible-”

“Thanks, Shiro, but I'm fine. Really.” Keith smiled faintly but it immediately erased when he saw Shiro smile that ridiculous smile again. “What?”

“There's a community club I'm a part of, outside of campus. Although the Garrison endorses it. And I'm positive you'll like it.”

“What is it?”

“Boxing. I'm a coach there part time. I could be your _personal_ trainer… one-on-one?” Any other time, Keith wouldn't feel any type of way to Shiro’s offer but the way he said it. What the hell was that? So...sultry as he said it with his eyes half lidded. Keith felt his stomach go queasy.

“S-sure.” He barely whispered but Shiro still heard it.

“Good.” He stepped closer and Keith tensed up. He squinted his eyes, not knowing what to expect, but Shiro only brushed by him. “I'll pick you up tonight and tell you all about it. Say...eight?” Shiro called to him, walking backward. Keith froze in his spot, wondering what the hell just happened. All he could do was muster up a dopey thumbs-up, making Shiro do that stupid smile again before walking off.

As far as Keith knew, Shiro was straight. But on the other hand, he's pretty sure he just asked him on a date tonight. Either way, Keith was on cloud nine. He was so elated that he didn't even snap at the girl pressing in his face, asking him if he wanted to sign up for Habitat for Humanity. He just gave her a “no thanks” before heading off. He even shocked himself.

But he didn't care. He was pretty sure he had a date with Shiro. And he couldn't wait for later that night.

 

…

 

“Lance, move your ass!” Pidge yelled from down the street. Lance thought she looked like a midget compared to Hunk standing beside her. But despite her size, she scared him. He shouldn't have been late, but he wouldn't have been if he wasn't pleading with Nyma earlier that morning to take him back.

“I'm coming!” He called back through cupped hands. Within a few seconds he caught up to them, completely out of breath. Hunk and Pidge stared down at him as he doubled over to catch his breath. “Long...legs...very...fast. Like The Flash.” He stood up to strike a pose and they rolled their eyes. “What?”

“Let's go, Flash…” Pidge said and Hunk snickered as they started walking again. They made it to the campus main square in minutes. They talked about their upcoming classes. Pidge went on about some project she wanted to do and said she might enter it into some kind of contest that Lance immediately forgot the name. Hunk signed onto her project saying that he'd help her no matter what and Lance grinned, elbowing him in the side.

“Shut up, Lance.” He whispered to him. Lance only laughed when they finally entered the long strip filled with eager and unsure students and their club booths. Lance was still laughing but stopped when he noticed Shiro jogging by in a nice form-fitting blue t-shirt with the words Big Brother labeled across the chest. He looked like he was on a mission, but he had a smile on his face. Lance thought he was ecstatic. “Someone's happy.” Hunk said. Lance glanced at his friends and felt relieved that he wasn't the only one gawking at the invincible Shiro.

“Damn, he's so hot.” Pidge said and Hunk stiffened, glancing down to his round stomach with a pout. Pidge smirked and flipped her hair. “But eh, he's not my type.” She chuckled and continued walking. Lance noticed Hunk's dejected face and elbowed him again.

“Stop pouting. That's not sexy!” Lance whispered. Hunk shrugged.

“I know. But how can i compete with that Adonis?” He gestured to the direction where Shiro ran off. Lance sighed. He's right. He felt sorry for any guy that had to compete with Shiro.

Lance turned to Hunk. “Don't worry about him. Pidge doesn't like him. She likes you!” Lance followed Hunk's gaze to see Pidge at a booth busily talking with another classmate. She had a black beanie loosely at the back of her head, her long dirty blonde hair flowing down her back. She had on a white tank and cut-off jeans with a black and white plaid shirt tied around her waist. She looked like some skater girl, but Hunk apparently ate that shit up. He was totally love-struck staring at her.

“You really think so?” He asked absent mindedly. Lance rolled his eyes.

“How many times do I have to tell you, you big-bellied Adonis? Yes! Now, stop being weird and stop pouting.” Lance gave him a slight push and watched his nervous friend walk up to Pidge. He smiled fondly watching him, like a baby bird learning to fly. He enjoyed the view until someone bumped into him. “Ow!” He turned around to see a boy holding an armful of social club paraphernalia. Frisbees, squishy balls, and cheap water bottles filled his arms. He didn't even recognize who it was because of the red hat on his head that said: Beekeepers Club is the Bees Knees. Lance chuckled then stopped when the boy raised his head. “The hell? Keith?”

“Hey.” He greeted coolly as he tried to avert Lance's gaze. The corners of Lance's mouth twitched.

“What's...uh.. What's all this?” He was scared to ask.

“Club stuff.” Keith shrugged. Lance couldn't hold back his laugh anymore.

“You signed up for all of these clubs?” Lance took the hat off of Keith's head and showed it to him as if he didn't already know what it said. “Beekeepers Club, Keith? Really?” Lance was completely oblivious to the blush spreading on Keith's face. “I didn't even think you would be here, much less actually sign up for anything. You must be in a good mood.”

“I think I am in a good mood.” Keith said, but Lance was right. This was a little overkill. He scanned for the nearest trash can and dumped all of his swag in the bin. He reached back to get the Beekeepers Club hat from Lance but Lance pulled it away. “What are you doing?”

Lance slapped the hat on his head. “You're not throwing this hat away. It's too cool.” He said smugly. Keith grimaced.

“Really, Lance?” He grabbed for the hat again and Lance leaned back with a huge grin on his face.

“I said no. It's my hat now.” He chuckled. Keith crossed his arms and gave up.

“Fine. You look ridiculous anyway.”

Lance shuffled forward. “Baby, I look good in anything.” He gave Keith those stupid finger guns. Keith rolled his eyes.

“Fine. Whatever.” He turned to leave, but Lance caught his arm.

“Wait. What's got you in a good mood?” Lance did feel stupid in that hat, but he didn't care because he noticed a slight flicker of a smile on Keith's face as he turned around. Keith stared at him and looked like he was seriously contemplating something. Lance released his arm, noticing he became his stoic self again.

“Lance, can I ask you something?” Keith stared to the ground, holding his arm as if he were cold. He looked like a shy, little kid. He looked so innocent. So cute. Lance almost forgot to answer.

“Y-yeah. Ask me anything.” He stumbled. Keith didn't notice his flustered state, but his own blush rose on his cheeks again.

“Well… you and Nyma.” Keith began. Lance's eyes widened. _Shit,_ Lance thought, _I forgot we’re together._ Keith paused for some reason and Lance spoke up again.

“What about us? I mean, we aren't together anymore… but…” Keith looked surprised, his mouth dropped into an adorable little ‘o'.

“Oh. Well… when you were together. Or, I guess when you were about to get together, how did you know…” Keith fumbled with his words and refused to look Lance in the face. “How did you know you were going out for real?”

 _Hoooly shit. He's not asking me out. He's asking about relationship advice? Keith Kogane? Who the fuck was he with?_ Lance thought further for a moment. _Well, hold on, Mcclain. You know he doesn't like you back. That wonderful night between you two freshman year was a fluke, long forgotten. Keith made it clear he doesn't want you. He doesn't know how much you dream of kissing his lips again. He doesn't know how much you love hi-_

“Lance.” Keith spat his name and finally checked into reality. Lance eyed over Keith while he caught his breath. He mustered up as much fake confidence as he could and plastered that goofy smile on his face.

“You got a boyfriend, Kogane?” He asked with raised eyebrows. Keith immediately kicked him.

“Shut up!” He managed to whisper and scream at the same time. “Just forget I said anything…” He mumbled and turned to leave. Lance, still hobbled over in pain, reached to stop him once more.

“Wait! Wait, Wait.” Lance stood upright despite the throbbing on his shin. His face grew serious for Keith's sake. He determined not to mess up again. “Sorry.”

“You play too much, Lance.” Keith crossed his arms and pouted. It was the cutest shit Lance has ever seen.

“I know...I'm sorry. But look,” Lance rubbed the back of his neck as he thought. “Whoever this guy is, it sounds like he's unsure.” Keith finally looked up to him with slanted eyebrows and uncrossed his arms. “I mean, if it were me, I'd make sure you'd know that I definitely want you. I'd want to parade you around and show you off to everyone...i wouldn’t make you feel unsure.” Lance's whole body felt hot after that, but he couldn't stop his mouth from talking. What's worse, Keith didn't respond although his blush had spread all the way to his ears. They stared at each other in silence, completely afraid to talk.

Lance thanked the heavens that Hunk and Pidge came at that point. “Keith!” Pidge greeted and hugged him. Keith and Pidge had known each other the longest. They used to be neighbors all throughout high school. Keith still looked a little spooked, but he brought his mind back to the present moment and hugged Pidge back and fist bumped Hunk. Lance just watched everything go on like it was slow motion.

A hefty hand on his shoulder brought him back and Hunk asked him if he was okay with his eyes. Lance gave him a crooked smile and mouthed ‘I'm okay’ as Pidge blabbered off to Keith about the upcoming school year.

Lance and Keith agreed silently to not bring up the topic again. They went throughout the day like normal, the four of them hanging out. Lance fell back into his goofy and loud personality warranting sharp and sarcastic remarks from Keith. It felt the same, but also, it didn't. In the back of his mind, Lance felt like something shifted. And unbeknownst to him, Keith felt the exact way.

After the night was through and they all laughed, ate, and talked, they all retired to their homes. The whole time, Lance racked his brain to figure out who Keith was dating. Or at least trying to date. But he could count on one hand how many gay guys he knew on campus and he was pretty sure they weren't his type. Lance wouldn't even go out with them. It was possible that this mystery guy didn't go to their school.

Lance was lying lazily on the couch as Hunk promised him to make dinner even though they just ate an hour ago. Lance sighed deeply, completely giving up on his search. Hunk heard him from the kitchen.

“What's wrong, buddy? Nyma break up with you again?” He asked with absolutely no sympathy in his voice. Lance grimaced as he scrolled through Instagram again.

“No…” he drawled out. He was about to speak further but his finger froze on his phone. He couldn't quite explain it, but he felt like all the blood drained from his body. He was positive he was shaking, just slightly. His phone went black and he tapped it awake again to make sure he wasn't overreacting.

Keith had posted a picture. That wasn't uncommon. And it was a selfie with Shiro. But that wasn't uncommon either. Everyone knew Keith and the amazing Shiro were close friends. Keith got into some trouble freshman year and Shiro stepped in and took him under his wing, which Lance always figured was the reason why he started the Big Brothers program at their school.

To the naked eye, that would look completely normal. But Shiro's smile. It was that same euphoric expression Lance noticed earlier. And Keith… damn. He looked good with his hair pulled back into a low bun. But other than that, he looked happy. He wore the brightest smile that ached Lance knowing he didn't cause it. Under the photo the caption read: _Guess I'm doing boxing this year. This guy is officially my coach_.

Lance's throat ached. He wasn't going to cry, but he needed to know. Ignoring his common sense to just leave it alone and just move on, he sent a text to Keith.

 **Lance** (21:43) : Holy shit… is it Shiro?

 

…

 

Butterflies fluttered in Keith's stomach as he watched the black SUV pull up. He took a deep breath. He's just going to dinner with Shiro. At 8 o'clock at night. Friends did that, right? He tried to prepare himself just in case he was completely wrong and Shiro really only wanted to talk about boxing. To show how excited he was about training, he posted a picture on Instagram of the two of them, telling the world about his upcoming new hobby. Did Shiro see it? Did he like it?

Keith groaned internally at himself. Since when did he become this person? So wrapped up in a guy. Worrying about something as trivial as social media. Keith turned his phone off as Shiro pulled to a stop. He wasn't going to worry about it. Not about the picture and definitely not about what Shiro’s intentions were. If it was a date, then good. Keith somehow snagged the greatest guy at Altea. If not, that's fine, too. He's spending time with his best friend.

Fortunately for Keith, he didn't have to wait for long. As soon as he saddled into the passenger seat, Shiro greeted him with that same love-struck smile and that whole just-friends mindset that Keith concocted within the last five minutes went down the drain. “Hey.” Shiro smirked.

“Hey.” Keith strapped in his seatbelt. He didn't want there to be a shred of silence so he asked immediately. “So, where we going?”

Shiro lit up. “Oh right. There's this great sushi place in Westford. It’s a little far but so worth it. I know how much you love raw fish.” He chuckled. Keith did love sushi. “Also it's a hibachi so they cook it right there. They use really cool knives to cook the food.” That really got his attention. Keith had to admit. Shiro really knew him.

“That sounds cool. Thanks.” Shiro nodded and patted Keith on the thigh before starting the car. Keith's gut sank. Did Shiro always touch him like that? They pulled out and rode in silence. Keith knew what he wanted to say but he just couldn't get it out. His mind raced with too many thoughts and emotions but he finally did. “What's the occasion?” Keith stared straight ahead but he could feel Shiro tense up. His knuckles gripped the steering wheel only for a moment then relaxed. “It's not just about boxing, is it?”

Shiro smirked and lolled his head to the side, all the while keeping his eyes on the road. “No.” Keith finally looked over to him and Shiro had a distant smile on his face. “I like you, Keith.” Shiro said, still not looking at him. That queasy feeling in Keith's stomach deepened. Just in case he was understanding wrong, Keith played it off. He chuckled.

“I like you, too, Shiro. You're a great friend to me.” Shiro finally shot Keith an annoyed look, but relaxed after a second.

“Keith...this isn't easy to say.”

Keith raised his eyebrow. He was just going to go for it. “So...you're gay now?”

Shiro huffed. “To be honest, I have been for a while. Pansexual actually.” Keith's eyes widened. To think about it, Keith had never known Shiro to be in a relationship. He was always so busy and consumed with his work, plus girls flocked to him everywhere he went, everyone just assumed he was straight, including Keith. “But I've wanted to be with you for a while.” Shiro continued.

Keith was listening to his love confession, but honestly he was still stuck on how he was right and how apparently Shiro liked men. “Does anyone else know you’re pansexual?”

“No.” Shiro said a little too quickly and all it did was unsettle Keith's nerves even more. “And that's my little dilemma… with my position and my upcoming career, it's hard for me to reveal my sexual orientation. It has to be a secret for now.”

Keith had never been so conflicted in his life. A part of him wanted to be with Shiro, but the more he spoke, the more pissed off he was starting to become. “Didn't you tell me earlier today that people are a lot more tolerable now? Why can't you just come out like I did?” But Keith had to think about what he just said. His coming out wasn’t the best story. Even worse, the way word got around Altea about Keith being gay wasn’t a great memory. Maybe he wasn’t the best example for Shiro after all.

“I have a following.” Shiro said. Keith scoffed and folded his arms. _What a bullshit reason._ He was definitely pissed now.

“You're not the fucking president, Shiro.” To his surprise, Shiro laughed and nodded.

“No, I'm not.” He chuckled. After his giddiness subsided, he grew serious again, but a lot more comfortable than before. “It's just… I need time to figure out how I'm going to do this.” Shiro looked at him with his beautiful eyes and Keith's heart melted. “Will you be patient with me?”

Keith crossed his legs and stared out the window, a blush creeping on his face. “Why the hell do you need me to be patient?” He muttered. Shiro chuckled and Keith grunted. _He's enjoying this? He thinks it's actually going well?_

“Because like I said, Keith. I like you and if you'll have me, I'd like to be with you.” Keith's lip trembled. Okay, Keith got what he wanted. Shiro was direct with his intentions despite the advice Lance gave him earlier. So, Keith figured his answer should be so simple. He wanted to be with Shiro and Shiro wanted to be with him. Just say yes and be happy. But… Keith hesitated. Shiro noticed and held out his hand. “May I?” He asked. Keith absent mindedly placed his hand in his. Shiro raised his hand up, Keith held his breath as Shiro’s lips brushed against the back of his hand. “I'm sorry that I'm not ready to come out. But I am ready to start something great with you.” He occasionally glanced between Keith and the road. “But I understand if you don't. I won't treat you any differently if you turn me down. I'll still be your friend. I'll still be your coach and support-”

“I want you, Shiro.” Keith blurted out. He just opened his mouth and that was the only thing that flew out. Shiro still had Keith's hand in his, his mouth agape. Suddenly, Shiro pulled the car over and put it in park. Keith hadn't said another word. He kept his mouth closed just in case he said something else crazy.

Shiro shifted in his seat to face him, rubbing Keith's hand softly. “Are you sure? It'll have to be a secret.”

“Yes.” Keith responded quickly. His face felt incredibly warm and he was sure that Shiro could feel his trembling hands. Keith desperately felt like crying and he wasn't sure why. Shiro squinted his eyes.

“Keith.” Shiro cupped his face with his other hand and Keith closed his eyes. This was the most intimate contact he's ever had with Shiro. He desired to be touched. He didn't realize how much he wanted to be loved until Shiro declared he wanted him. It settled within him that this amazing, kind, sexy, supportive man was the best he was ever going to get. He shouldn't blow it. Even if it meant sneaking around until he came out. He'd put up with it if it meant someone actually wanted him and eventually would love him. Logically, Keith made his decision. He had Shiro finally after peeking glances at him when he wasn't looking or imagining how it would feel to hug him longer than two seconds without it being considered ‘gay’. Keith should be happy. Ecstatic.

But there was a tiny ripple that cracked in his heart and it hurt like a motherfucker. Keith ignored it entirely and grinned from ear-to-ear. He repeated himself. “I want you.” He whispered. Before Shiro could say anything else and before Keith could change his mind, Keith pressed his lips to Shiro’s. He didn't hold back. He wrapped his arms around his muscled shoulders, attacking his mouth and Shiro quickly responded with his tongue. Keith lost himself in him, suddenly finding himself straddled on Shiro’s lap in the driver's seat as he kissed down his neck.

“We...we should…” Shiro struggled to get the words out in between the sloppy kisses from Keith. “We should get going.”

“Fuck it. We’ll go another day.” Keith panted then lined kisses down Shiro's sculpted jaw. “Take me your place.” Their kissing paused when Shiro leaned back in his chair with a sullen face. “We could… still go to the restaurant.” Keith offered, feeling bad that his raging hormones took over the night.

Shiro snickered. “No, it's not that.” He brushed his hair back and blew out air. “My roommate.” Keith raised his eyebrows in understanding. _Damn, it's already starting._ Keith nodded and slumped back to the passenger seat. Shiro shifted the driver seat back in place. Keith was so caught in the moment he didn't even notice Shiro moved the chair back.

“We could go to my apartment.” Keith offered to prove he was still committed. He still wasn't sure if it was for Shiro or himself, but either way Shiro took the bait. He started the car again and drove to Keith's empty apartment.

The atmosphere wasn't as bad as he thought it was going to be. They got comfortable again, actually talking about boxing and their plans for the school year. Once inside Keith's apartment, Shiro ordered take out, successfully getting Keith's favourite. Keith went to the kitchen to grab them both a beer. He came back and sat next to Shiro on the couch, but still had some distance between them. Shiro smirked.

“You can get closer.” His arm stretched on the back of the couch. Keith cozied closer to him, resting his head on his shoulder. They both seemed to take a deep breath together and relaxed into each other. “By the way, I saw your post.” Keith snapped his head up to see Shiro take a swig of his beer smugly. Keith didn't think about the possibility of their relationship being a secret when he posted it. People may get the wrong (or right) idea.

“Should I take it down?” He asked. Shiro set his beer down and shook his head.

“No, it's fine.” He tilted Keith's chin up to line his lips with his. “I liked it a lot. It was cute.” Shiro kissed him simply, but again Keith turned it into something ravenous. In the privacy of his home, Keith felt comfortable to straddle Shiro again and this time lifted Shiro's shirt over his head. Keith's breath caught in his throat as he traced his hands over Shiro's chest. He was so jacked. Keith wanted to bite his pecs but before he could do anything, the knock on the door interrupted them. “Must be the food.” Shiro said and lifted Keith up like he weighed nothing and set him back on the couch.

Shiro answered the door topless, nearly giving the delivery girl a stroke. Keith smiled internally knowing how lucky he was that Shiro chose him. After tipping the delivery girl, Shiro set the food on the table. He eyed Keith up and down on the couch. He wasn't doing anything sensual, but he burned from the look Shiro was giving him. Between the food and Shiro, Keith wanted Shiro. “I'm not really hungry right now.”

“Good, me neither.” Shiro responded with a smile. Keith stood up and brushed past Shiro to go to his room. Shiro followed him with a flirty gaze. Keith posted by his bedroom door, promptly removing his shirt and tossing it in the floor. He said no words, but invited Shiro to come inside with a curve of his finger.

Keith hadn't had sex in a while and he felt like he was definitely rewarded for his missed time. Shiro was as good in bed as he is sexy and that was saying something. Keith clawed at his back. He moaned and came three times. He was on a high.

He also didn't peg Shiro as a sleeper after sex. Or a cuddler. Keith laid awake while a naked Shiro slept pressing against his back. He never knew this would his life. He was Shiro's boyfriend. He sighed when that painful dagger hit his heart again. He was Shiro's boyfriend alright. In secret.

The high he was feeling just moments before suddenly came crashing down. Maybe seeing Shiro's response on his post on Instagram would help him feel better.

He maneuvered out of Shiro's arms to pick up his pants from the floor and fished his phone out of the pocket. He settled back into the warmth of Shiro’s embrace and turned his phone back on.

He didn't even make it to the Instagram app before five new messages flashed across the screen. The first one nearly making his heart stop.

 **Lance** (21:43) : Holy shit… is it Shiro?

 **Lance** (21:43) : It's Shiro, isn't it?

 **Lance** (21:45) : Damn, son

 **Lance** (21:46) : Teach me your ways!

 **Lance** (21:55) : Okay you not replying is actually scaring me

Keith snickered as he texted back.

 **Keith** (23:02) : I'm replying so you can stop being dramatic

 **Lance** (23:04) : He lives!

 **Lance** (23:04) : Soooo

 **Lance** (23:04) : You gonna answer my question or…

 **Keith** (23:05) : The second option

 **Lance** (23:05) : Keeeeith. Come on. I'm dying to know

 **Keith**  (23:06) : Why? It's really none of your business

 **Lance** (23:07) : Rude

 **Lance** (23:07) : Well you're my friend for starters

 **Keith** (23:07) : I am?

 **Lance** (23:08) : Offense #2! Keep it up Kogane

 **Keith** (23:08) : Whatever. Good night

 **Lance** (23:08) : Wait!

 **Lance** (23:08) : Come on, please?

Keith sighed and glanced back to a snoring Shiro. He needed to tell someone or else he'd feel like it wasn't real. If he had to choose someone, he'd prefer Pidge to tell even though she could be unpredictable with secrets. He wasn't planning on telling anyone, but if they guessed...and Lance already guessed it even though Keith wondered how the hell he did. Keith took another deep breath.

 **Keith** (23:15) : It is.

 **Lance** (23:15) : whaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?!

 **Lance** (23:15) : Since when?!!!!

 **Lance** (23:15) : He's gay?!!!

 **Lance** (23:16) : Since fucking when?!!!!!

 **Keith** (23:16) : Lance.

 **Lance** (23:16) : WHAT?!

 **Keith** (23:17) : You done freaking out? I need to ask you a favor

 **Lance** (23:17) : Okay. Anything.

 **Keith** (23:17) : Can you keep it a secret?

 **Lance** (23:18) : What? Why? This is great! You'd be the sexiest couple besides me and Nyma

For some reason, that really bothered Keith. Why can't Lance just make up his mind with Nyma? He hoped his annoyance didn't come out through his text back.

 **Keith** (23:19) : I thought you said you broke up? And he hasn't come out yet, Lance. It's important you keep your big ass mouth shut.

 **Lance** (23:20) : ...oh well you see

 **Lance** (23:20) : We kinda got back together.

 **Lance** (23:20) : And hey you want me to keep your secret or not?

 **Keith** (23:21) : Sorry

 **Keith** (23:21): So you will?

 **Lance** (23:22) : Of course I will.

 **Keith** (23:23) : Thanks. I really appreciate it.

 **Keith** (23:23) : I'm glad I'm able to talk about it with someone

 **Lance** (23:25) : Anytime Mullet.

 **Lance** (23:25) : And I know Shiro's nothing short of a greek god but still use protection

 **Keith** (23:25) : GOODNIGHT LANCE!

 **Lance** (23:25) :  <3 night

Keith set his phone down. He felt a wave of pressure roll off his chest. Even though it was Lance he confided in, he was actually glad it was him who figured it out before the relationship even started. He felt like he could breathe now after talking with him. Keith turned in Shiro's arms, resting his head on him. Shiro shifted in his sleep and held him tighter.

Yeah, it wouldn't be a secret forever. Soon, Keith and Shiro could be together openly. Keith determined himself to ride it out until Shiro was ready. High school was hell and Keith had his share of secret relationships with seemingly straight self conscious popular jocks. But he felt like Shiro was different. For one, he wasn't a hormonal teenage boy struggling with his sexuality. Shiro knew who he was and what he wanted. He just needed time. And that's what Keith was going to give him. Time.

And more time.

And even more time.

* * *

 


	3. Tardiness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, now we're placed back to the present time.

Lance intertwined his fingers with Nyma. She rested her head on his shoulder as they lounged in the common area in her dorm. Lance had gone to Nyma early that morning to take him back. It was like clockwork. She gave him an enthusiastic yes and he replied with a nonchalant cool. Now, they sat cuddled on the couch, scrolling mindlessly together through Lance’s Instagram as they waited for Lance to leave to his next class. He noticed she would tense up whenever he paused even a second on a pretty girl's picture.

“I'm not gonna like the picture.” He said without looking up. Nyma smirked.

“I know. You know better.” She uncoiled from him and took a sip from her coffee. Lance rolled his eyes.

“You're pretty confident.” He said with a smirk and she nudged him. After taking a swig of her coffee, she nestled back by his side to resume watching him scroll. Lance skimmed to a halt when he saw Shiro’s recent post. He reposted Keith's boxing video, captioning that he was proud of Keith's progress and can't wait for his match. Lance squinted his eyes in frustration. Why can't Shiro just say Keith's his boyfriend and move the fuck on? It annoyed Lance that it had been a year since Keith told him about Shiro and they were still tiptoeing around.

Lance didn't mean to pause for so long until Nyma said his name. “Lance?” He looked up to her. “You uh...you want to go to his match?” She gestured to the looped video of Keith on his phone. Lance scoffed.

“Pfft. Yeah, right. Like I'd want to go watch that has-been.” He continued scrolling, not even taking in the selfies and posts his thumb swiped over. He didn't notice the slight scowl on Nyma's face, either.

“Why do you do that?” She sat up from leaning on him and he stared at her quizzically. “He's your friend, isn't he?”

Lance didn't know why she got so upset all of a sudden. But her question was provoking. Was Keith his friend? His first instinct was to say yes but he didn't know how true that was. Keith was in a weird section of his brain that didn't fit in a box. He wasn't merely a friend. He wasn't a lover. He wasn't an ex. He wasn't even an actual class rival. He was an… almost, but Lance was too afraid to do anything about it. So, Keith just hung in this limbo in his mind where he could hide his hurt, love, and insecurities behind insults and cheap laughs. Of course, he couldn't tell this to Nyma. So, he just gave her the first answer that came to his mind. “Yeah, he's my friend.”

“Then stop calling him a has-been because he's not. He was placed as an engineer when he got in trouble and that's not worse than a fighter pilot, right? Hunk's an engineer and you don't talk bad about _him_.” Nyma explained emphatically. She knew this looked like it was coming from nowhere and she probably seemed emotional to Lance. But what he didn't know was that she was up all night crying because she knew a secret about her boyfriend, but he didn't know one about her.

Nyma was in love, but it wasn't with Lance. Though, she loved Lance for sure. He was accessible. He was funny. He was caring. She liked being with him. He knew how to make her curl and scream in bed.  She loved him - but in a way someone would love sunsets or the ocean. It was great to be in its presence, it was beautiful to look at, but that's about it. It's not meant to be possessive and she knew without a shadow of a doubt, Lance didn't belong to her. She wasn't stupid. She knew Lance belonged to Keith.

Of course, Lance would never admit this to her. He played it off with his banter and cheap shots and normally she would let it go because she had a ‘Keith' of her own - someone that was completely unattainable. She was in love with someone she could never be with, no matter how hard she tried. Then came Lance. She didn't like thinking him as a constellation prize. Lance was so much better than that. But times like now, when he was so blatantly blind and obtuse, it irritated Nyma to no end. She couldn't watch him any further.

“Why can't you just be honest with yourself?” She asked him. Lance's phone screen had gone black. He and Nyma had stared at each other in silence. He knew exactly what she was talking about, but again, he purposely ignored it. His smile crept up again.

“You okay, baby? You seem tense today?” He knew he completely disregarded her question. Knowing that she'd get absolutely nowhere with her dense boyfriend, she sighed and took a sip of her cold coffee.

“Whatever, Lance.” She glanced at the clock above the exit sign in the common room. “Don't you have to go to class? You're late.”

“Oh shit.” Lance shot up and collected his backpack. “Thanks.” He bent down to kiss her and she paused. “I'll be more honest with myself, babe. I promise.” He whispered close to her mouth. Seeing his lips so close, she just sucked it up and kissed him gently, cupping his face with her hand.

“Get to class, you idiot.” Lance smiled back and headed out.

 

…

 

 **Shiro** (09:15) : I'm outside.

Keith sighed and checked his window. Sure enough, the familiar black SUV was parked on the street in front of his apartment. Shiro was worried since Keith didn't want to talk at all the whole weekend about what happened. Shiro insisted that he at least drove Keith to Garrison campus. And Keith couldn't say no.

He dreaded the inevitable talk as he walked up to the car and slinked inside. Shiro was staring at him with a soft look, holding a foam coffee cup. He handed it to Keith. “It's black. Three sugars.”

Keith mustered up a smile. “Thanks.” He took a sip and Shiro still hadn't moved the car. They sat quietly. Keith didn't pressure him to start driving. He knew they needed to talk, but he had absolutely no idea what to say. This was the first real relationship he's ever had. He didn't know how to cultivate it. He didn't know how to make it better. And he sure as hell didn't know when it was time to end one. Thankfully, Shiro spoke first.

“You mean so much to me.” He said simply. Keith pondered, hovering his mouth over his coffee, letting the steam burn his lips. “And it hurts me that I don't… I don't know how to make you happy.”

Keith shot a look over to Shiro. He had his eyes shut, it was clear he was forcing tears back. Keith hurriedly put his coffee in a holder and held Shiro's hands in his. Shiro looked over to him, his eyes cloudy with tears. “I _am_ happy when I'm with you. I love you, Shiro. Don't think that I'm not happy.”

“But you're clearly not. I know I can't give you everything you want. We have to hide our relationship and-”

“That's on me.” Keith cut him off. “I told you I'd wait for you to come out. I was just getting impatient and in my head again.” Keith hated to see people sad, especially when he was the one to cause it. He didn't know how to make Shiro feel better so he did the only thing he could think to do. He leaned closer to Shiro and kissed his lips chastely, but Shiro shook his head.

“It's not fair to you, Keith. You deserve so much better. But I'm just so afraid.” Shiro started to cry and Keith thumbed the salty ears away as they rolled down Shiro's face. “I'm not...I'm not strong enough.”

Keith pulled Shiro into a hug, nestling his chin in Shiro’s neck. “You're the strongest man I know. Don't say you aren't… because I know that you are.” He stroked through Shiro’s short hair until Shiro recoiled back to stare him in face.

“But it's not fair for you to wait for me, Keith. I don't know _when_ I'll be ready.” Keith's stomach turned at the tone of Shiro's voice. He sounded way too suggestive to be considered casual. Keith knitted his eyebrows.

“Are...are you breaking up with me?” Keith loosened his embrace around Shiro.

“No!” Shiro said quickly and that eased Keith a bit. “No, I just… I don't know what you want. The last time we talked, you sounded like you gave up on me.”

“I would never. You never gave up on me. I won't give up on you.” Keith tilted Shiro's head up. “Never.”

“So you'll keep waiting for me?” Shiro asked.

Keith answered him with a kiss. “As long as it takes.” He smiled. Hearing that, Shiro leaned more into him and kissed Keith passionately. He cupped Keith’s face with his right hand while his other hand rested on Keith's thigh. On the inside, Keith knew his feelings were valid. Hiding his relationship with Shiro bothered him and he was finally at a point to admit it. But being with Shiro was the best relationship he's ever had. Love takes work, right? It's just something Keith would have to accept any time his insecure emotions rose up.

As their kiss deepened, Shiro slowly inched his hand closer to Keith's crotch, until Keith realized what his boyfriend was doing. Quickly, he sat up to straddle Shiro in the driver's seat as Shiro slid his seat all the way back to make room.

It was just like when they first realized their feelings for each other a year ago. But this time, it wasn't nighttime and anyone walking by Keith's apartment would see the rampant display of passionate love. And this time, Shiro didn't care. His hands wandered aimlessly up the front of Keith's shirt, through his hair, massaging the stiff fabric between his legs. His mouth however was more tactile. He consumed Keith, eventually sucking along his jaw then finding a home in his neck, sucking and accidentally getting carried away with a slight bite. Keith moaned in response, allowing him to do all the work as he just settled in Shiro's lap soaking up the pleasure.

They had gone on for a few minutes until Shiro's phone went off with a sharp ring. “Damn it!” Keith groaned and slumped back until the passenger seat as Shiro took the call. He smirked watching Keith's disgruntled face as he answered.

“Hello, this is Takashi.” Keith knew it was someone serious if Shiro was using his first name. It was confirmed when Shiro addressed his student council supervisor, Coran. Coran was a bigwigged international communications officer that offered his services to Altea University. He took students under his wing that had a knack for his line of work so Shiro was a natural goldmine.

Keith watched Shiro switch on his professionalism. It was such a contrast from his scared vulnerability just moments ago. Keith couldn't believe that the strong and confident man talking to Coran was just weeping in his arms. It was a little funny that he was the only one who saw Shiro in that light. He actually really liked it. Keith's eyes glazed over the car's dashboard as he waited for Shiro to hang up. He jolted up when he saw the time. He nudged Shiro.

“Yep. Uh-huh…” Shiro spoke into his phone then mouthed ‘what'.

Keith pointed to the clock and mouthed back to him ‘I'm late!’

“Oh! Right, Coran.” Shiro replied to whatever the old man was blabbering about as he started up the car and quickly drove off. Keith was a little pissed that he couldn't even have a morning with Shiro, but he shrugged it off as he listened to Shiro's conversation. “Of course, I'd love to...Colorado, you say?” Keith perked up to that. Was Shiro going to Colorado? He'd be sad to see him leave, but he willed himself to understand that Shiro had incredible opportunities and would be a fool not to take it. But Colorado was so far. He knew someone from Colorado. Was it Hunk? He believed so and also...Lance. He was from Colorado too.

He groaned at the memory of Lance filling him in on the greatness that is the state of Colorado even though he didn't really care. He had went on and on about it when they all hung out one time. Keith hated that he somehow now knew that Colorado had the highest elevation than any other state.

Shiro noticed Keith's displeased face as he thought about Lance. “Yes, I do have to go though, but I will let you know. Thank you for this opportunity, Coran. Goodbye.” He grimaced when he hung up. “Sorry. Coran’s niece just transferred from Colorado today. He wants me to escort her around for a bit since she's an international business major too and we basically have all the same classes.”

Relief washed over Keith. “So you're not like leaving to Colorado right?” Shiro laughed and patted Keith's thigh.

“No, no. She's just shadowing me.” Keith nodded in understanding as Shiro pulled the car to a stop in front of the building where his class was held. Shiro picked up Keith's spaced out, pensive look. “Anything else on your mind?”

Keith broke out of his daze. “Yeah, actually.” He turned to Shiro. He didn't even care that he was late. He needed to tell him before he lost his nerve again. “I need to come first… at least sometimes.” Shiro's confused look made Keith speak further. “I know it's difficult for you to come out and I understand that… but when we're together, I need to know I'm enough for you. No more interrupted dates. Okay?”

Shiro smirked. He gripped the back of Keith's head and pulled him closer to seize his lips. “You got it.” Keith smiled looking into his eyes. That was easy. Why didn't he just say that earlier instead of getting pouty and pissed about it for an entire weekend? “Text me later. I'll give you a ride to training.” Keith nodded and gave him one last quick peck before grabbing his coffee and slipping out the car, knowing for damn sure he was late for class. But he didn't really care.

 

…

 

Nyma’s words echoed in Lance's head as he hustled to class. He dodged out of the way of a speeding motorcyclist when he blindly crossed the street. The realization that he almost just died hit him and he shook his head. “Come on, Lance.” He gave himself a brief pep talk and continued jogging to his class. The building was just down the street. “Damn, I'm so late.”

He tried to care, but he was more concerned about what just happened with Nyma than worrying about Professor Ryu chewing him out in front of the class. _Does Nyma know about Keith?_ The same question swirled around in his head since he left her. Her anger was completely out of nowhere. He always made fun of Keith in front of her, but this was the first time she defended him. But why?

Maybe she's just sick of it and doesn't want to hear his insults anymore. That would have been the easy answer Lance wanted to believe. But no, he knew it was deeper than that. _Why can't you just be honest with yourself?_

Man, she really hit the nail on the head. But it wasn't that Lance was lying to himself, though. It was that he was lying to everyone else. Especially Nyma. In reality, he was hiding from his feelings for Keith and he desperately wanted to just get away from it. Why the hell can't he just leave it alone? He's trying to move on and forget Keith. Now, Nyma brings him up again. Damn it.

The flustered numbness Lance was previously feeling was suddenly replaced with anger. And it wasn't even toward Nyma. He was pissed that Keith ever came into his life. Why can't he just forget about him and his dumb ass secret relationship with Shiro?

No matter how much he wanted that, it proved difficult when he ran up to the front door of the building and almost knocked over a smaller black-haired boy as he reached for the handle.

Keith looked up to Lance with a scowl when he didn't say anything. Lance stared at him in a dazed stupor, a flux of emotions coursing through him. Damn, Keith was so beautiful. Even with the pissed look on his face. “You aren't going to say sorry?” Keith asked annoyed and opened the door to the building.

Lance walked in behind him and finally got his brain to work. “You're the one that's always running into me, Mullet.” Keith shrugged and led the way to the stairs. Lance watched him from behind as they walked in silence. His black shirt was tight around the muscles on his arms and shoulders, but it lifted at his back just slightly as Keith walked up the steps and Lance could see a sliver of his skin. His mouth felt dry. _Damn it, Lance. Snap out of it._

They took their time striding in the silence even though they were just both high-tailing it to class. “Why are you so late?” Lance asked when they reached the hallway at the top of the steps.

Keith replied without looking back. “None of your business.” Lance eyed the small purple bruise on his neck and his stomach turned.

“Probably something with Shiro, right?” Lance asked with a little more bite than he intended. This time, Keith did glance back with a scornful look.

“Shut the hell up before someone hears you.” Lance gazed around the empty hallway with a raised eyebrow. Keith faced forward again with a sneer. “Why are you late? Nyma dump your stupid ass again?” They continued walking and stopped in front of their class door.

Lance glared at the back of Keith's head. “Asshole.” He muttered before Keith opened the door.

Thankfully, Professor Ryu wasn't in the middle of a lecture. But unfortunately, the eyes of 26 students darted back to them anyway as they looked for a seat. There were two empty seats in the back and they reluctantly sat next to each other.

Professor Ryu pressed his lips in a thin line before addressing them. “Ah! Mcclain and Kogane. So happy you decided to join us today.”

“Wouldn't miss it for the world.” Lance said with a charismatic smile but Ryu didn't return it. Lance sunk low in his seat, his face feeling hot from the unwanted attention. Keith rolled his eyes.

“Anyhow…” Ryu redirected to the rest of the class and Lance blew out a sigh of relief when they focused back on the professor. “Your instructions are on the syllabus. This will count as 40 percent of your final grade. Make sure you and your partner pick a topic that you're comfortable with. You have two weeks so there will be no class until it's due. You may use this time to work either here in class or anywhere else to do your work. The lab and observatory is also available. Now, get busy.” Ryu dismissed the class with a wave of his hand.

The students in the class mingled to go to their partners. Some teams left the class to work elsewhere while a few of them chose the classroom to set up shop. But Lance and Keith? They sat in their seats, completely dumbfounded and lost.

Lance raised his hand. “Uh, Professor Ryu?” he called him over from helping a separate team. Ryu stopped in front of their desks. “I don't have a partner.”

Ryu gestured to Keith. “Yes, you do.”

 _“What?”_ Keith finally spoke up.

“Professor,” Lance laughed. “That’s a _huuuuge_ mistake.”

Ryu was not amused with their opposition. “You both were late. And everyone has already picked their partners at the beginning of class. If you didn't want to be partners, start coming on time.”

“Professor Ryu, please.” Keith pleaded. “He's an idiot. And I can't afford to fail.”

“Hey!” Lance objected but Keith paid him no mind. Ryu seemed to soften with Keith. He sighed and removed his glasses from his face.

“Keith, there's nothing I can do. Try your best and hopefully you'll regain your fighter pilot status.” Ryu walked away to attend to another team. Keith furrowed his eyebrows and determined to not look at Lance.

“You’re trying to be a fighter pilot again?” Lance asked. Keith grunted and pulled his syllabus from his bag. When Keith didn’t answer, Lance rolled his eyes and sighed. “I’m trying to talk to you. Can you not be emo for like five seconds?”

“Fuck you, Lance.”

“Fuck _you,_ Keith.”

“Hey…” A voice sounded behind Lance and they glanced back. It was Rolo, Lance’s friend since freshman year. He was sporting a green and red beanie and it distracted Lance from whatever he was trying to say. “...I feel the love, guys.”

“Rolo!” Lance cried desperately. “Switch with me. Please!” Keith buried his head into his syllabus, ignoring Lance’s last attempt to switch. Keith didn’t want to work with Rolo, but it would be a step up from Lance.

But Rolo raised his hands in the air. “Sorry, no can do, pal. I already have my partner and we already got started.”

Lance gritted his teeth. “Then _why_ are you here?” Rolo ruffed up Lance’s shoulder and smiled cheaply at Keith.

“If you would excuse us, Mr. Kogane.”

Keith didn’t even look up. “Whatever.”

Rolo pulled Lance out to the hallway by the cuff of his collar. “Ow! What the hell, Rolo?”

His friend leaned into his face with a smirk. “Dude, do you not see how lucky you are? Keith Kogane is your partner. That’s an easy A! The guy is a genius. Plus, he’s _stupid_ hot.”

Lance was well aware of the crush Rolo had on Keith, but Rolo didn’t know about Lance’s crush on the popular boy. And Lance knew Keith was smart and talented, that wasn’t the problem. He just couldn’t be around him. “Then take him, Rolo! Who are you working with?”

“I can’t. I’m working with Maria. And you know she started our project like yesterday already. Just suck it up and work with him. Just try to not kill each other.”

Lance sighed. There was no way he’d get out of this. He’d been trying to run from Keith, but if they hurry with their project, then he wouldn’t have to deal with him anymore. “Fine.” Lance groaned. He went back to the classroom and Keith was still there, scribbling on a piece of paper. Keith bit his lip and his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Lance felt like his heart was going to fall out of his chest from thumping so hard. “Fuck.”

He sat back down and Keith ignored him. Lance pulled out his syllabus and skimmed over the words, the information barely registering to him. He was too aware of Keith’s presence, breathing softly, his hair flopped over his face. Lance wanted to brush it back, but Keith suddenly looked up at him. “We’re doing this.” He said simply and slid the paper he was writing on over to Lance.

“You picked measuring skyglow?” Lance was impressed. He loved the sky and stars. He loved space. It was the main reason he even wanted to be a pilot. He actually really loved this idea. They could use the observatory which was one of his favorite places at the Garrison. But his face must have had some kind of scowl as he was thinking because Keith suddenly snatched the paper out of his hand. “What the hell?”

“If you don’t like it then _you_ think of something.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t like it. You barely gave me a chance to speak.” Keith stuffed the paper into a folder and began packing up. “You’re leaving?”

“I want to work somewhere else.” He said. Lance squinted his eyebrows.

“Were you going to invite me on this little trip at any time?” Keith stood up and shouldered his bag. “Seriously, Keith. I’m trying to be your friend and speak to you, but-”

“You’re not my friend, Lance.” Keith leaned down directly in his face. “You’re my dumb ass classmate. _Pidge_ is my friend. Shiro’s my friend. Hell, even Hunk’s my friend. But you - don’t count yourself so lucky.”

Where was this coming from? Lance knew they usually bantered and made fun of each other, but Keith looked...pissed. And his words were like daggers to Lance’s heart. And this lash-out felt all too familiar. He stared into Keith’s violet eyes for a second before collecting his thoughts. His eyes wandered back to the hickey on Keith’s neck and he knitted his eyebrows.

Lance whispered so none of the teams on the other side of the class would hear. “Yeah, by the looks of it, you and Shiro are _really_ good friends.” He pointed to the hickey and Keith’s eyes widened. He quickly put a hand over the spot where Shiro bit him earlier in the car. “It’s been a year, right? How’s that secret relationship going for you?” Lance could see the fumes rising in Keith as he stared him down.

“I fucking hate you, Lance.” Keith then took his stuff and walked toward the exit. Lance stood up as he walked away.

“Oh yeah? Well, I hate your ass, too!” He yelled, warranting worried glances from other classmates. Lance was extremely pissed now. What did he ever see in that hot-headed, emo, mullet-wearing asshole anyway?


	4. Training Day (Three Years Ago)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter flashbacks to 3 years ago when Lance and Keith were in their freshman year and they meet for the first time.
> 
> Warning: This chapter does include the word 'faggot' and other crude hate homophobic slurs. Just a heads up so you aren't surprised.

The Garrison School for Engineering and Aviation was the most prestigious space exploration, piloting, _and_ technology engineering school in the country. Keith had no idea how he even ended up here. His neighbor Pidge first told him about the school one time as they worked on their Chemistry homework together. She went on excitedly about all of the tech and space resources they had and how she wanted to change the world through robotic technology. She wanted to push the limits of space and time. She mentioned that Keith should try to apply for piloting. So, in a way, he owed it to Pidge for encouraging him to make something out of himself.

But really, he owed a lot of it to Shiro. Takashi Shirogane was a student that came to Hedrick High School along with another student and faculty from Altea University. Both students represented the two schools under Altea University. There was one student representing the Garrison and Keith didn’t really pay attention to him, which he should have since that was the school he wanted to go to. But his attention was diverted to the very attractive Takashi Shirogane representing The Balmera School for International Business. Shiro spoke passionately about humanitarian work and how it was up to them, the youth of the world, to change the universe. Keith was captivated. He was close to apply to the Balmera from his speech alone if Pidge hadn’t talked common sense into him.

After the recruitment assembly, Keith walked up to Shiro, mouth completely numb. Girls swarmed around him asking him about the Balmera and what they offered. Keith hated how desperate these girls were, but then it dawned on him. He was only talking to Shiro for the same reason they were. He wasn’t even going to his same school. The line dwindled down until he was face-to-face with the handsome student. Shiro smiled. “What can I do for you?”

 _So much._ Keith thought, but quickly checked himself. He wished he had Pidge next to him, but she was busy bothering the student from the Garrison with a million questions. “Yeah… I… um.”

Shiro snickered and walked closer to Keith. Keith’s face lit up red. “What’s your name?”

“Keith Kogane.” He said quickly. Shiro placed a hand on his shoulder and Keith felt weightless.

“Are you looking to come to the Balmera for International Business?”

Keith had to laugh. This was ridiculous. What the hell was he doing? He wanted to go to the Garrison. Why was he so swept up in this man? This _straight_ man. “No,” Keith chuckled and his nerves calmed down. “I actually wanted to apply to the Garrison.”

Shiro smiled knowingly and pointed to the other student he came with. “Well, my buddy right over there can answer any questions you have.”

“Thanks.” Keith almost turned to leave, but a question forced its way out of his mouth. “Why are you so passionate about this school? The Garrison seems so much cooler.”

Shiro pondered for a moment and crossed his arms. His buff arms swelled and Keith was caught in a daze. “Well, the way I see it, the Balmera is us exploring Earth’s possibilities. The Garrison is exploring the universe’s possibilities. Earth is our home, and I believe we should help and know ourselves first before trying to understand whatever’s out there.”

Keith nodded. “I like that… but I want to be a pilot. I’d love to see what’s out there.”

“I don’t doubt that you’d be an excellent pilot, Keith. I hope you get in. I’ll be looking for you at the Garrison next fall.” Shiro ended the conversation when another pushy girl pressed herself into Shiro’s line of vision. Keith smirked as he walked away to join Pidge, feeling like he was floating.

Now, Keith finally made it. He had no idea how. He was a foster youth. He had no money or no connections, but he made it in the Garrison alongside Pidge and Pidge definitely deserved it on merit alone, but Keith knew he had to earn his keep. He’d have to work his ass off just to prove that he belonged there among the best of the best.

P.T. testing day finally came. Keith was nervous when he showed up to the outdoor track. All Garrison students had to be tested on their physical endurance and strength before being assigned teams in the flight simulator. Keith hoped that Pidge would be assigned to his team as the tech specialist, but they wouldn't find out until later.

Right now, he had to get through P.T. and his nerves worked against him as he walked up behind the large crowd of Garrison students waiting for their instructor to show up. There were bleachers surrounding the track, a few students started to trickle in to watch the testing. Keith groaned. _Don't they have classes to go to? Why do they have to be here?_ Keith hated the extra attention. It was bad enough that he didn't have any friends like many of his classmates already. Now, he has to perform in front of them.

“Don't be so nervous.” A voice said behind him. He looked back and then down to his friend. She wore the same green tennis shoes she'd been wearing all throughout high school. Her long, thick hair tied up in a bun with her short sleeves rolled up to her shoulders. She meant business.

“I'm not that nervous.” Keith responded. “You said no one knows how to fly right? We're all on the same level.”

Pidge nodded but then smirked devilishly. “Yeahhhh...that's not what I was saying you'd be nervous about.” She sheepishly pointed her finger toward the bleachers. At that moment, a man rounded the corner with a small group of friends. Keith could see the muscles rippling in his shirt from way down in the track. The man was skimming the crowd of Garrison students, using his hand like a visor, until he found Keith. He smiled and waved. The upperclassmen that came to his school actually remembered him? Keith's face felt warm and saluted back. Pidge's laugh brought him back to earth. “Real smooth, Captain.”

Keith turned to her. “It's nothing with that guy. Besides, I'm done-”

“-being with straight guys...I know.” Pidge finished his sentence with a smirk. Keith grimaced, but Pidge laid her arm on her shoulder. “Look, I'm sure there's plenty of gay guys here for you.” She outstretched her arms to the sea of students before them. “Take your pick.”

“Are you calling me gay?” A boy turned around to Keith and Pidge with a disgusted face. He must've been listening to their conversation this whole time. “I'm not gay like you, faggot.” He said emphatically.

Keith reeled back his anger and luckily Pidge spoke for him. It was a good thing too because he wasn't sure what his clenched fists were going to do. “Hey fucker, no one said you were! So, mind your business, you asshole.”

The boy sneered and walked away until he found his group of similar stocky and stank-faced friends. He mumbled something to the circle of friends and they glanced back to Keith. Flashbacks of high school played in his mind. Keith's stomach felt queasy. He just wanted to go home.

“Don't pay them any mind, Keith.” Pidge said and tilted his face away from them. “And if they even _think_ about messing with you, I'll kick their asses. One by one.” Keith laughed and rustled Pidge's hair.

“Thanks. That'll be hard though. What if one of them is on my team as a tech specialist or as my engineer?”

“Oh, they won't be.” Pidge said simply and pulled her phone from her pocket. Keith raised his eyebrows to ask her how she knew when she spoke again. She scrolled through her phone looking for something then lit up. “Aha.” She said in victory. “Your tech specialist is someone named Georgia Helms. And your engineer is a girl named Franny Delgado. So… all girls. You should have no issues.” Pidge looked up to Keith's awestruck face and laughed. “What? I hacked the system. I wanted to see who I had. And I thought I'd check yours too.”

Keith smirked and shook his head. Of course Pidge would. “Well, thanks. But if we're not together then who's your team?”

Pidge shrugged. “Two guys from the same hometown in Colorado. My engineer is some guy named Hunk Garrett and my fighter pilot is a guy named Lance Mcclain.” Pidge continued to talk more but was interrupted by her phone ringing. “Ah… it's my mom. I should get this.” She stepped out of earshot to talk and Keith suddenly felt so alone again.

He felt like those group of guys were still staring at him and no doubt talking about him. He leaned into Pidge's advice and just ignored it.

It didn't take long until their instructor rolled out in the ever-stylish swish swash pants and jacket, holding a tablet and a whistle around his neck. Keith immediately noted his left eye was permanently pressed shut which added to the instructor’s brunt and rough look. “Attention!” He yelled effortlessly. All of the chattering Garrison students stopped at once as the man stomped to the center of the field. He didn't need a megaphone. He was plenty loud enough. “I am Professor Iverson. You will address me as such or as Coach Iverson. I am your P.T. instructor. Your placement in the Garrison is contingent on how well you fare the next few days. All majors are required to complete-” Iverson halted his instructions. He peered past the collection of students and zoned in on the running figure heading toward them.

Keith could make out that it was a boy, still pulling his jacket on, running at full force. Everyone's attention was on him as he slowed to a stop at the back of the group, just a few feet away from Keith and Pidge. He huffed over to catch his breath.

“You!” Iverson boomed. The crowd of students instantly parted so that the instructor could see the boy clearly. “Your name!”

The boy stood up straight and Keith analyzed how tall he was. He looked lanky, but he was really booking it just a few seconds ago, so Keith saw how the toned calf muscles under his shorts slightly flexed. Damn, he had great legs. If his body wasn't enough, he smiled brightly and saluted to the professor. Keith was sure his blue eyes sparkled as he spoke. “Lance Mcclain reporting for duty!” A hint of a laugh in his voice. A few students chuckled and Keith recoiled his fascination a bit. _He's a clown._ But although he thought that, he felt the corner of his mouth twitch up into a smile.

Iverson saw right through funny boy Lance and typed something on his tablet. “Why are you late, Mcclain?” Lance put himself at ease, putting his arm down, and fumbled with his answer.

“I was talking with my mother...sir.” More laughter this time, but this time Keith couldn't help but feel like he didn't mean to be funny. Lance's smile went lax as their classmates laughed. Keith heard Pidge groan beside him with her arms crossed, watching Lance make a fool of himself.

“Fucking figures I'd be paired with a joke.” She muttered and it finally clicked in Keith's mind that Lance was on her team. He was her fighter pilot.

“Mcclain, what's the second rule here at the Garrison?” Iverson asked. The answer popped into Keith’s mind, but apparently not Lance’s because he mumbled to himself and counted on his fingers as if that was going to help him.

Keith pretended to cough. “Be on time…” Lance looked over to him and flashed a toothy grin. The heat in Keith’s face rose.

“Be on time, sir!” Lance shouted with a puffed up chest. Keith giggled behind his hand, but thankfully no one saw. He didn’t know why he felt so smitten by this guy.

“Then make it a habit, Mcclain.” Iverson retorted. Lance saluted again.

“Yes, sir.” Iverson went back to addressing the student body and all the attention placed on Lance whisked away. Except for Keith. His blush was still evident from when Lance looked at him. It got even worse when Lance stepped over to him. “Thanks, man.”

Words escaped Keith’s mind and all he could do was nod, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. Lance patted his shoulder in appreciation and walked further into the crowd, probably to stand by his other friends. Keith watched him until he stopped by a larger student with an orange bandana wrapped around his head. Pidge noticed Keith’s awkward behavior and nudged him. “Geez, keep it in your pants, Kogane.”

Keith shushed her roughly. “What are you talking about?”

“Five seconds from crushing on that greek god,” she pointed to the attractive student sitting in the bleachers, “and you’re already fawning over another guy.”

Keith furrowed his brows. “It’s not like that, Pidge. I can’t help who I’m attracted to. Besides, they’re probably-”

“-straight? How do you know?”

Keith sighed, staring at Lance with his friend. “They usually are.”

Pidge shrugged. “Well, it doesn’t hurt to have a little hope.”

After Iverson finished his speech - which admittedly not many students were listening to - fighter pilots, engineers, and tech specialists were split up. Keith hated to see Pidge separate from him because now he had no safety net and now forced to look like the loner he knew he was. The fighter pilots were taken to the inner track field to test their running.

In a much less smaller crowd, Keith spotted Lance with ease. He couldn’t explain it, but he just liked staring at him. He looked like a goof, which normally Keith couldn’t stand, but he made him smile. Lance gave off a warmness even though Keith didn’t know him. The way Lance made his other friends laugh. When his larger friend started freaking out about running, Lance slung an arm over his shoulders to console him. Keith smiled. _He seems compassionate._ More than anything, he wanted to talk to him. Lance was attractive of course. Slender face with loose short brown curls. He had long since shed his jacket revealing his smooth caramel arms in his white muscle shirt. But other than his obvious looks, Keith just really wanted to be his friend. But there was no way he was going to walk up to him.

He must have been ogling too long because the same guy from earlier laughed at Keith. He turned around to see him with his snobby friends, who all had amused smiles on their faces. “You looking for someone’s dick to suck tonight?”

Keith bit his tongue and walked away, further into the crowd of other fighter pilots. He worked way too hard to get here. He didn’t want to hurt his chances at the Garrison over insecure assholes who just want to push his buttons. He stopped walking until he reached the front. He was going to get revenge the best way he knew how. He was going to beat their asses at every single test that they were given.

“Alright, fighter pilots! Line up!” Iverson shouted. Keith didn’t even realize that in his attempt to get away from the homophobic boys, that he walked right next to Lance. His legs felt like jelly as Lance gave him a smug smile. Iverson began counting off students. He got to Keith and Lance. “You, two. You’ll start us off.” He ushered them to the starting line. “You’ll run the track until the very end.”

Keith and Lance got into position. He tried not to sneak glances at Lance, but he couldn’t help it. Lance glanced over to him. “By the way, the name’s Lance.” He said as they squatted.

“Keith.” He said coolly.

“Well, Keith, buddy. I hope you like the look of my ass,” Keith’s face turned red. “Because you’re gonna be staring at it as I beat you in this race.”

Keith shook his nerves. “You know we’re not competing right?”

Lance shrugged. “It makes things interesting.” He stared straight ahead as they waited for Iverson to give the whistle. “See you at the finish line. Eat my dust, Keith.” He said with the most shit-eating grin he’d ever seen.

Oh, Keith liked him. His heart fluttered and a smug smile crept on his face. “We’ll see about that.”

Iverson blew the whistle and they were off. And so, their rivalry began. They danced around each other as they competed in racing, climbing, push-ups - basically every physical test Iverson threw at them. All the while snapping sly remarks and quick-witted banter. Lance always saying that he let Keith win.

But on his own merit, Keith won them all. Lance would miss the mark just by a hair, with Keith finishing first. Keith was so wrapped up in their competition, he forgot that he was trying so hard to shut up the bullies from earlier.

Lance stretched his back and a sliver of his belly showed. Keith unashamedly stared with a smile on his face. “You almost had me for a moment.” Keith laughed. Lance smirked.

“Once again, I took mercy on you at the last second.” Lance said. Their last test of the day were hurdles. Lance squatted and stretched his long legs. “I’ll have you at the hurdles.”

Keith raised his hair into a high bun and he saw how flustered Lance looked. He smirked. “Once again, we’ll see about that.”

Lance was the second one to go. Keith remained in the small crowd of fighter pilots to watch him run. He bit his lip as Lance bent over in starting position. Iverson set it off and Lance booked it. Keith felt a small ounce of pride as Lance hurdled over every obstacle. He had a huge grin on his face when the same asshole bully from earlier bumped into him.

“I guess you found the lucky guy you’re gonna blow.” He snorted. Keith flared his nostrils. _Fight it, Keith. Fight it._ “I wonder if he’s queer, too. What do you think, Trey?” The guy asked his friend and he shrugged.

“Don’t know, Vic. There might be tons of faggots at this school.” He said back to him. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Mama’s Boy Lance liked his dick sucked by homos.”

Keith drew blood from biting his lip so hard. The taste of copper in his mouth didn’t bother him as much as these assholes talking about Lance. They could talk about Keith all they want, but he didn’t want to draw Lance into their hate-speech. Lance might not even be gay, just super friendly. And Keith knows full well how depleted a man’s reputation becomes if there’s even an insinuation that he’s gay. What if he wasn’t even single? He _was_ checking his phone after every test like he was waiting for someone to call him. What if he had a girlfriend? What would happen if she heard a rumor that her boyfriend was gay?

“Yeah, I guess Lancey Lance is another one of the homos.” The main asshole Vic said to his friend. Keith felt his blood rising. He wasn’t even concentrating on Lance jumping and running anymore. Hurtful and hateful thoughts swirled around in his head. Before he knew it, he heard the crowd of students collectively go, _“Oooh!”_

Keith looked up and saw Lance laid out on the track, a few hurdles toppled over. Vic and his friends laughed. “He must’ve been distracted, huh?” He nudged Keith and made an obscene sucking noise with his mouth. And before Keith knew it, every restraint he had snapped.

He was on top of Vic, punching at his face, clawing at his eyes. He wanted to connect as much of his fist to Vic’s face as possible until he was violently pulled back. His hearing went mute as he attacked Vic, but suddenly rushed at him again to hear Iverson’s rants. Iverson had a death grip on his arm. “Let’s go, Kogane!”

Iverson pulled Keith away from the crowd while Vic’s friends helped him and led him away to the infirmary. And in the midst of the chaos, Keith desperately looked for Lance on the field, but weirdly, he was nowhere to be found.

 

...

 

Keith was still fuming when he sat in the office with Iverson and a few other older white guys he’d never seen before. His arms were crossed and he had a scowl on his face, his leg nervously bouncing up and down. _Of course, I’d be the one in trouble._

“...and then I had to pull him off of Victor Redding. I have no idea where the violence came from.” Iverson told the board. Keith looked up with a knitted brows. “Is there anything you’d like to add?”

The only thing Keith was worried about was his scholarship. He didn’t tell them about the hateful comments Victor and his friends made. He just wanted all this to be over. “What’s going to happen to me?” He expected the worst. He’d be kicked out of the Garrison. He’d have to find some dead-end job. He’d be alone for the rest of his life.

“Well,” A man with red hair spoke up. He had a luxurious mustache and twiddled the ends as he spoke. “Altea University does not condone violence, Keith. Consequences must be made. So, we have no choice but to-”

“Wait!” The doors to the office swung open and in the center stood a muscular man, huffing out of breath. Keith’s eyes widened. _What’s he doing here?_

“Takashi?” The ginger professor addressed him as he walked further into the office. “This is a private meeting.”

“I know, Coran, and I’m sorry to interrupt.” He said out of breath. “But I was there. I saw the whole thing.”

Keith’s leg had stopped bouncing. His arms were uncrossed and his mouth dropped. He completely forgot that Shiro was in the bleachers. Did he see everything really? Did he catch onto his competition with Lance?

“I want to be a witness. Keith isn’t at fault.” Shiro said. Iverson and Coran swapped worried glances. They both nodded and urged Shiro to continue. Shiro stood straight up. “Well, I was there watching the testing like many other students usually do. I saw Victor harass Keith.”

Coran looked over to Keith. “Why didn’t you mention that?”

Keith shrugged and Shiro continued. “Keith looked very uncomfortable and it went on the majority of the testing until I’m guessing he just snapped. I’m not the only one who witnessed it. There are other students willing to give account, too.”

Iverson closed his good eye and sighed. “Kogane, speak up. Is that true?”

Keith glanced over to Shiro and he smiled weakly. He sat up straighter in his chair. “It’s true. Victor and his friends were teasing me about my sexual orientation.”

The air in the room stilled and the older men seemed to stiffen. But not Shiro. He only smiled at Keith reassuringly then turned his attention to the professors. “I’d like to take Keith under my wing. I’m starting the Big Brothers program at Altea University. He’d be like an unofficial mentee.”

The professors huddled together and spoke quietly for a moment. Keith looked over to Shiro. Why was he doing this? Keith didn’t deserve it. He was willing to just be kicked out and live his life as a mechanic or bus driver, but in the back of his mind, he knew that couldn’t be further from the truth.

“Alright,” Iverson announced as the professors broke their huddle. “Keith, you’ll resume your studies here at the Garrison.” Keith smiled relief but it was short lived. “But you’ll be displaced from fighter pilot status and placed as an engineer until you’re off of academic probation.”

An engineer? The classes were all pretty similar to the ones he was taking already, but he wanted to fly. He wanted to be a pilot. But still, an engineer was much better than being a bus driver. He’d been lucky that Shiro came to his aid.

“Is that an appropriate consequence or should we go with an alternative?” Iverson asked.

Keith sighed. “Would I still have to be his mentee?” He gestured to Shiro. Iverson nodded.

“That’s part of the deal.”

Shiro was hot and he was nice enough to stand in the gap for Keith. It wouldn’t hurt to be mentored by him. “I’ll take it.”

The meeting was adjourned and Keith walked out with Shiro right on his heels. “Hey.” He greeted when he caught up to him.

“Hey, I can’t thank you enough for what you did.” Keith stopped to face him. His eyes darted to his swelling pecs every other second. Shiro didn’t seem to care.

He smirked and waved lazily. “Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad to have my first mentee.” Shiro chuckled.

“Yeah, about that. What do I have to do?”

They started walking down the hallway again. “Honestly, nothing. I just hate seeing injustice so this was the best thing I could think of to step in. The Garrison isn’t as lenient as the Balmera when it comes to discipline.”

“So then…” Keith was still confused on what he’d be actually doing. Shiro laughed.

“We’ll just be friends. How’s that?” Shiro asked. Keith smiled.

“I’d like that. Thanks...Takashi?” Keith wasn’t sure if he said his name right.

“Takashi is what I use for business. My friends call me Shiro.” Strangely, that fit him much more than his first name. They walked out the front building.

“Well, thanks, Shiro.”

 

...

 

“Ugh! Fine, _Mama_...I will, so can you just stop?” Lance was getting tired of his mother’s worried pressuring for him to eat enough, to make friends, to get good grades, don’t die in a piloting accident - it was getting to be too much.

 _“Mijo, cuida tu lenguaje. No me apresures!”_ Lance’s mom spat over the phone. Lance groaned silently so she wouldn’t hear him.

 _“Si, senora.”_ He took his jacket out of his closet. “But _Mama,_ I really have to go.” He grabbed his dorm key and headed out the door, his phone snuggled safely between his shoulder and chin.

“Okay, fine.” She regained her jovial tone. “Go, be good. Be great. I’ll call you when she wakes up. _Te quiero mucho y Dios te guarda.”_

 _“Si, te bendiga._ Love you.” He hung up the phone and hurried to the field where his P.T. testing took place. He was so late. Talking to his mom took a lot longer than he hoped. Any other time he would’ve just rushed her off the phone, but today was different.

Lance’s sister, Veronica, had just come out of surgery. Her doctors found a tumor in her lung. They assured his family that it was small and benign, that they didn’t have much to worry about. They caught the tumor in time before it spread. But that didn’t stop Lance’s mom from worrying and in turn placed all her anxiety on Lance to make sure he was okay. So, naturally, Lance humored her.

Although he had humored her for much too long because all eyes were on him as he neared the field. Of course, he’d be used to be made an example of and Coach Iverson didn’t hesitate to embarrass him in front of the entire Garrison school. He was a champ and used his charm to ease the awkwardness.

“Mcclain, what’s the second rule here at the Garrison?” Iverson asked. Shit, how was Lance supposed to know? His mind was preoccupied with his family and Veronica and her surgery that he barely processed what was going on. Thankfully a voice saved him.

“Be on time.” It said. He glanced over to see a fellow student and Lance naturally grinned. He was dressed in all black, but his black shirt had a v-neck that dipped just enough over his muscular pecs to make Lance wonder what he’d look like shirtless. He snapped back into reality and repeated his answer to Iverson, who in turn made a snap remark. Lance ignored it entirely as Iverson went on with his welcoming speech.

He scanned the crowd for his best friend, Hunk, who was situated at the front of the crowd of students. But before he went to him, he made sure to pass by the student who saved him and patted him on the shoulder. He didn’t want to make it weird by flirting hardcore with him, so he just gave him a simple, “Thanks, man.” Then headed off to Hunk, despite the weak feeling he had in his knees when the boy looked into his eyes and gave him a nervous smile.

He reached Hunk who was still chuckling about Iverson making a fool of him. He calmed down when he noticed that Lance wasn’t laughing. He whispered as Iverson continued his speech. “Seriously, dude. Why were you late?”

“Veronica is out of surgery. She hasn’t woken up yet.”

Any remnants of a smile wiped clean off of Hunk’s face. “Oh shit, dude. I’m sorry. I’m sure she’ll wake up.”

“I know. I was just trying to calm my mom down. She was kinda freaking out.”

Hunk laid a hand on Lance’s shoulder. “It’ll be alright.”

Lance believed that, but regardless he still worried about his family. He wondered how he would ever get through training that day. He needed a motivator. Or at least some kind of distraction.

Then came the boy in all black.

After the majors separated, Lance parted ways with Hunk (after quickly consoling him that it’ll be okay if he can’t run very fast). As the fighter pilots readied to do their first test on the track, Lance noticed the boy stepped beside him. Did he do that on purpose? Maybe he just wanted to get closer to the track and it had nothing to do with him. Just in case, Lance sent him one of his charming smiles as Iverson began counting students off.

“You two!” He pointed to Lance and the boy next to him. “You’ll start us off.”

Lance stretched out his arms as they got into starting position. He was happy to run with the boy, he can show off what he could do. Even if the boy wasn’t gay, he couldn’t help but engage in a little flirtatious competition. He just hoped he took the bait.

“By the way, the name’s Lance.” He greeted as they squatted.

“Keith.”

Lance grimaced for a second. Keith sounded stand-offish. Maybe he was making him uncomfortable. But as someone who always took risks, Lance pushed anyway.

“Well, Keith, buddy, I hope you like the look of my ass because you’re going to be staring at it as I beat you in this race.” Lance chuckled when Keith’s face burned red. He could see his wheels turning in his head, but finally found words to say.

“You know we’re not competing right?”

Lance loved this. It was just what he needed to get his mind on training and off of his family. “It makes things interesting. See you at the finish line. Eat my dust, Keith.” Finally, a smile crept on Keith’s face. _He took the competitive bait._

“We’ll see about that.”

Iverson set it off and Lance was off with Keith not far behind him. Lance wanted to laugh, he felt giddy. He felt better than he had in the past couple days dealing with his family. So, he poured himself into their P.T. testing. He made sure to banter Keith and flirt with him to motivate himself to do better. But still, after every test, he checked his phone to make sure he didn’t miss a call from his mom about Veronica waking up.

He noticed Keith saw him repeatedly checking on his phone and decided to just keep it in his pocket with the ringer on the loudest setting. If his sister wakes up, his mom will definitely call.

The fighter pilots finally reached to the final test just as the sun was beginning to dip for the night. It was hurdles. Lance felt good. He might actually beat Keith’s score this time because he fucking owned hurdles. He could do this.

After some harmless shit-talking with Keith, Lance lined up for his turn. He stretched over a little more than he should just in case Keith was watching. Lance thought it was funny, but a reminder hit him. Keith might not be gay and all of this would just be hella embarrassing if he wasn’t. He decided to stop playing around and get ready. As soon as Iverson blew his whistle, Lance jetted and hurdled over every jump. He felt victorious. He was sure Keith was watching. He was on cloud nine until… his phone rang.

He was mid-jump when it went off and it sent him tumbling down, with hurdles crashing over him. He heard the other fighter pilots collective _“oohs”_ as he went down. He wondered if Keith saw that. It definitely wasn’t sexy. But he thought about it only for a second, because he went scrambling for his phone.

“Hello?” He answered sprawled on the ground.

 _“Mijo!_ She’s up! She wants to see you.” His mom exclaimed on the phone. Lance wasted no time and sprung up to his feet. He hurried off to the direction of his dorm, completely forgetting about finishing the hurdles.

“Give me five minutes. I’ll video call her.” He huffed into the phone. He hung up and sprinted to his room, blissfully unaware of the fight that broke out in his absence.

 

...

 

Veronica didn’t look like her usual self and that was expected. She looked exhausted with tubes coming out of her body. Tears burned Lance’s eyes. He knew she would be alright, but just the sight of his younger sister in this condition tore at his heart.

“Hey buttface.” She said weakly. Lance laughed as a tear rolled down his cheek.

“Hey _caca_ .” He responded. He heard an “ _Aye.”_ off-screen from his mom and she swatted gently at Veronica’s arm.

“Sorry.” Lance and Veronica said in unison, knowing that their mother hated when they called each other nasty names. “How are you feeling?” He asked.

Veronica shrugged. “Could be better.”

 _“Mijo_ , the doctors said she’s doing a lot better than they hoped.” His mom reported off-screen again. Lance raised his eyebrows.

“Really, that’s awesome! I can’t wait for you to get better. Then you can come out here to see my school and meet my friends.”

“Your friends? I’ve met Hunk.” Veronica laughed weakly. Lance pouted his lips.

“No,” he said adamantly. “I made new friends, too. There’s this cool guy named Rolo. And then there’s Keith…” He trailed off, realizing that he just left the training without saying another word to him. The last thing he remembered Lance by was him making a mess of himself over the hurdles. The cringe radiated his body.

“Lance?” Veronica called. “Did you see someone you liked?” She grinned, noticing his dazed out look.

“Oh, _mijo,_ did you find a girlfriend?” His mom pried. Veronica laughed and in unison again she and Lance responded. “No, Mom.”

Veronica was the only one in his family that knew about Lance’s bisexuality. She was the first one he came out to in high school and she’d kept it a secret from their family for years now. Although, she did tease him from time to time.

“You’d tell me right, _mijo?_ Whenever you snag a girlfriend?” His mom asked peering into the camera.

“Yeah, Ma. I promise.” He smirked. “Anyway, there’s this guy Keith and he’s pretty amazing. He’s like top of our class, but I’ve sworn an ongoing rivalry with him so I’ll be the best.”

“The very best?” Veronica chuckled. Lance knit his eyebrows together.

“This isn’t Pokemon.” At that Veronica giggled and it warmed Lance’s chest to know that she’s still laughing and smiling despite this horrible situation. “Whatever, Ronnie.”

“What?” She asked wiping a joy-filled tear from her eye. She paused and looked off screen. Lance could hear a woman’s voice in the background, but couldn’t quite make out what she was saying. “Oh, I’m sorry, Lance. I gotta go.”

“Okay. I love you.” He smirked sadly. Veronica blew him a kiss and he blew one back.

 

...

 

The Garrison had a mini celebration for the student’s first week at the school. Lance didn’t want to go and thought going to a school ‘party’ was the lamest thing in the world, but Hunk insisted he went instead of staying cooped up in his dorm waiting for his sister to call him back.

Lance walked behind Hunk as they entered the gymnasium. Surprisingly, the place was pretty much packed. A few students danced in the middle of the floors, some were off in another section where a video game station was set up and a cluster of students hung around it, watching the gamers. Lance noticed Hunk's attention divert over to them.

“Go play…” Lance egged on. Hunk grimaced, but looked longingly at the games. “Seriously, Hunk. I'll be fine.” Lance knew his friend was just worried about Lance - between worrying about Veronica and making a fool of himself in front of the school (Victor and his bullies officially dubbed Lance as Mama’s Boy Lance), it had been a pretty eventful day.

“Oh...okay.” Hunk gave him a playful punch to his arm before joining the video game enthusiasts at the other end of gym. Lance skimmed the crowd to see if he'd spot a familiar mullet amongst the tired student faces, but it proved useless. He didn't think he came. After his embarrassing display at training, he wasn't sure if he could even face him anymore.

Lance slumped to the snack table and mindlessly munched on pretzels. He sighed watching all the (probably socially deprived) fighter pilots, tech specialists, and engineers intermingle.

“This party blows.” He muttered.

“Seriously.” A voice agreed. He glanced over to see a girl with long blonde hair parted into two ponytails. The first thing Lance noticed were her huge boobs on display in a low cut blouse, but he didn't want to be _that_ guy so he looked up into her lovely green eyes. She smirked. “Yeah?”

Lance smiled and mosied closer to her, dropping the pretzels on the table. He extended his hand. “The name's Lance.”

“I'm Nyma. I've heard about you.”

“Oh yeah? People talk about me?” He asked with his eyes half lidded. Nyma leaned closer to him.

“Yeah...and i think it's sweet. Not many boys our age still talks with their Mama.” Then it dawned on him that she was referring to the mean nickname circling around the school. Lance groaned. Of course. First Keith. Now Nyma. He can't catch a break. He turned to leave, but Nyma caught his arm.

“Where are you going?”

“Mama’s Boy Lance?” He asked incredulously. She chuckled.

“What?” She ran her hand through his hair and Lance relaxed his muscles. “I think it's sweet.” She said softly.

“You do?” Lance raised his eyebrows with a smirk returning. Nyma bit her lip and nodded.

“There's a party at some freshman’s house who doesn't live too far from here. Let's go there.” Nyma wrapped herself closer to Lance. Her chest rubbing against his and he felt his groin burn up.

“L-let me get my friend. We'll all take an Uber-”

“-no need.” Nyma released her grip on Lance. “I have a car.”

Lance had all the inspiration he needed. He scrambled from Nyma to find Hunk. He didn't know why he was in such a frenzy, but he knew he needed this. He needed a wild night to forget about all of his worries - so an unsupervised party away from the school that most definitely was going to be serving alcohol was just what he needed.

He found Hunk at the gamers station, his eyes round with fury and concentration. “Fuck!” He yelled when his player got shot from behind. His opponent, a tiny girl with long thick dirty blonde hair, whooped in victory. She grinned at Hunk.

“In your fucking face!” She yelled and ended it in a maniacal laugh. Hunk slumped his shoulders and pouted.

“Yeah, yeah. One more round-"

“-Hunk!” Lance called after prying himself through the fortress of gamers. His friend looked up at him bewildered. The other gamers took that as an opportunity to take his controller and start their own game. Miffed that he'd been deprived of his turn, Hunk reluctantly stood up to face Lance. “Hunk...party...hot girl...alcohol...away from this shitfest…” Lance gulped and stood upright to catch his breath. “You in?”

“Hell yeah I'm in!” A small voice chimed. Hunk and Lance glanced over to see the same girl Hunk was playing against. Lance looked her up and down.

“Who are you?”

“She's Katie-”

“I'm Pidge.” She cut Hunk off. “And we’re a team.” Lance directed his confused look back to Hunk so he could explain.

“She's our tech specialist.”

“Our? You're my engineer?” A smile replaced Lance's disgruntled face. “Wait, how do you know?”

“Katie - I mean Pidge told me.”

“I hacked the system and found out you guys were on my team.”

Lance smirked and Hunk matched him. “Isn't she cool? Except when she's playing Halo. And then she totally sucks.”

Pidge laughed. “Don't be a sore loser.” She looked back to Lance. “So what's this party?”

Lance shook off the weirdness of the situation. “There's a party. I'm 88 percent sure it has alcohol. Someone is gonna drive us. You in?” He said to apparently both of them now.

Hunk looked like he had reserved feelings, but Pidge was immediately all for it. “Lets go!” She yelled and Hunk's face turned pinkish. Lance smirked.

“You all for it, big guy?” Hesitantly, Hunk nodded and pretty soon they were headed towards Nyma who was stuffing a water bottle in her purse. “Hey we're back.” He greeted. Nyma had a dazed look in her eye as she without warning kissed Lance on the lips. He heard a “holy shit” from Hunk behind him as they pulled apart.

Nyma chuckled and whispered in Lance's ear. “Sorry, I kinda started drinking already. I needed to be a little buzzed to do that to you.”

Lance gently gripped her by the shoulders. “Are you okay to drive?” Nyma laughed.

“Definitely. I'm a pro, baby.” She kissed him once more before heading off to her car. Lance, completely dazed, looked back to Pidge and Hunk.

“That's...Nyma. She'll be our designated driver.” He explained still very confused and slightly terrified that Nyma was going to be driving under the influence.

Thankfully, the party wasn't that far and Nyma was indeed a pro. He watched her carefully as she drove and he was actually really impressed. He tried to not ask her any questions so she could concentrate, but unfortunately Hunk didn't get the memo.

“So where are we going?” He asked. Lance sighed and answered before Nyma could.

“A party, Hunk.”

“Right. But like...who's?”

Lance didn't really know or care but before he could express that, Nyma spoke. “Victor Redding’s house.”

“That asshole?!” Pidge exclaimed from the back seat. Lance glanced back to her as she further explained. “He and his other assholes treated my friend like shit! He's the reason he got in trouble today.”

Lance blinked in confusion. Pidge caught on that this was news to him. “Didn't you see it? There was a fight at the fighters pilot training.”

Lance's eyebrows raised into his forehead. “Hell no, that sounds awesome. Who won?”

“Of course Keith kicked his ass.” Pidge said and at that Lance perked up. Was it the same Keith he'd been thinking about all day? The same Keith he constructed a flirty rivalry with?

“What happened?” Lance asked, his excitement from before dwindled.

“Well, Victor and his friends were making homophobic comments to Keith and he snapped.” Pidge said with a lull in her voice. Lance's eyes bulged.

“Keith's gay?”

Pidge nodded suddenly feeling sad. “Yeah. And I slightly feel like it's my fault this happened to him.”

“Aww, come on. I doubt it.” Hunk consoled her.

“No I'm positive it is my fault. And now, Keith isn't a fighter pilot anymore. He was placed an engineer until he's off of academic probation.” Pidge sighed and looked forward to Lance. “Besides, how do you not know who Victor Redding is? He started the whole ‘Mama’s Boy Lance’ thing.”

“Oh, that asshole.” Lance muttered. To be honest, he didn't really care about that. He was sure it was going to blow over plus he got Nyma out of it. The thing that bothered him was Keith. How the hell did he miss an entire fight? He couldn't have been so worried about Veronica that he totally missed out on that. It explained why Iverson just let him go when he left training without finishing his last test.

But now Keith wasn't a fighter pilot anymore. He wasn't in his same major so he had no one to rival against. He had no one to flirt with or talk shit to. Maybe if he hadn't left the field, things would've been different. Maybe he would have joined the fight and kicked Victor’s ass too.

But most importantly, Keith was gay! His awkward flirting wasn't as embarrassing anymore. He could actually try now, hopefully Keith was single. He'd get his information from Pidge, find him tomorrow, and ask him out. He had a plan.

“Guys?” Nyma piped up. Shit. He forgot about her, hopefully she wasn't serious about Lance. “Did you guys still want to go?” She asked as she stalled at a red light.

His first instinct was to say no, but something stirred within him. He wasn't there to back up Keith earlier, but he sure as hell was here now. “We’re gonna go.” Lance said, warranting sharp “ _whats?”_ from Hunk and Pidge. “We're gonna go.” Lance repeated. “We're gonna party, drink his alcohol and then I'm gonna kick his ass.”

Hunk and Pidge laughed but stopped when he glanced back at them. “Oh, you're serious.” Pidge said.

“Lance, buddy, I love you, but how are you going to do that? You're not a fighter.”

“I'm not. I'm gonna need a lot of alcohol.” He muttered and Nyma laughed.

“Well, here.” She fumbled through her purse until she came out with a beat up water bottle. Lance held it in his hands.

“You're giving me water?”

Nyma chuckled. “No, it's Vodka.” Lance sniffed it and the strong smell pierced his nostrils. It was definitely Vodka.

“Oh, hell yeah!” Pidge reached to the front seat and snagged the bottle out of Lance's hand. She started gulping it without a break and Lance yelled.

“Wait Pidge!” But Hunk had already taken it out of her hands, giving it back to Lance. “Damn.” He said and screwed the lid back on. “I'll just wait until we get there.”

They reached Victor Redding’s party and people were hanging out on the porch, in the front lawn, and out back by the swimming pool. The nerves hit Lance as they peeled out the car. He had to make good on his promise. He'll just punch Victor in the face and haul ass back to Nyma's car for a daring escape. He just needed to be buzzed in order for it to work.

That plan derailed once they got into the house. Pidge was already starting to lose her edge and downed three shots five minutes in since they got there. Hunk kept a close eye on her so Lance didn't really have to worry about her. Nyma on the other hand was a different story.

She claimed to be their designated driver, but yet she was guzzling Jack Daniels like a fish. No ounce of alcohol had touched Lance's lips and he had a feeling that none was going to, with Nyma's behavior. He didn't care how well she drove them there, she was not going to be driving them back.

They'd been there for an entire hour and Lance saw no sign of Victor. He was beginning to resign his idea. He had no alcohol and no one to punch. His plan failed. He scooped up a very drunk Nyma from the couch. “Where's your keys? I'm driving.” He asked. Nyma smirked and stuffed her keys in her breasts.

“Get them.” She muttered. Lance was well above taking advantage of drunk girls and he wasn't about to start doing that today. He protested profusely until Nyma cried out. “Just do it, Lance.” He looked away and dipped his hands and began pulling it out, but Nyma stopped him. The keys barely reached the surface of her cleavage. “Now, use your teeth.” She baited.

As much as that turned him on, Lance resisted. “Come on, Nyma.”

“Do it...then we can go home.” She smiled. Lance was about to do it when they heard a crash from the kitchen. Hunk emerged wide-eyed suspiciously without Pidge. He spotted Lance on the couch.

“We gotta go.”

“What? Why? Where’s Pidge?”

“Pidge is the problem.” He explained cryptically. He fanned his hand so Lance would follow. He quickly plucked the keys from Nyma's cleavage and hurried after Hunk in the kitchen.

Pidge was standing on the island surrounded by people. In the mix, Victor Redding was red-faced with anger. He already had a black eye and red scratches over his face and neck. Lance's eyes widened. Keith really did a number on him.

“I didn't invite you! And your faggot friend better not be here!” Victor yelled up at Pidge who snorted.

“Like he'd be here! You assholes think you're tough. But we all know you make fun of people because you're insecure…” she laughs. “Because you all have tiny, toddler sized dicks!” Pidge yelled followed by laughs by other party goers. “We're only here because my friend came to kick your ass.”

That was their cue. Hunk and Lance raced to the edge of the island. “Okay, Pidge. That's enough…” She hiccuped in surprise.

“Oh, there he is!” She smiled. “Kick his ass, Lance!” Lance craned his neck to see Victor who then laughed.

“Who? Mama’s Boy Lance?” Victor laughed even more. “Too bad that faggot isn't here. You look tense. I'm sure he'd suck your dick to relax you, Mama's Boy.” Lance felt blood rush to his ears. All the motivation zapped back to him. He didn't need alcohol for this. He turned to Hunk and whispered.

“Take Pidge. Run to the car.” Hunk nodded knowingly.

“Come on, Pidge.” Hunk raised his arms as Pidge closed her eyes and fell backward off of the island like a trust fall. As soon as Hunk had her in his arms, he darted for the front door.

Lance’s palms felt sweaty as he turned back to Victor. He clutched Nyma's keys in his fists, allowing a few of them to poke in between his fingers. He stepped to Victor with his broadened shoulders.

Victor scoffed and barely had two words out of his mouth before he saw spots and suddenly he was looking up at Lance.

“What the fuck?!” Victor yelled crouched on the floor holding his probably broken nose. Blood dotted on Lance's still clenched fist and a little on Nyma's keys. Victor looked at his friends. “Don't just stand there, beat his ass!” He yelled.

Lance put his track legs to good use. He ran to the front room where Nyma was still sitting on the couch. In a quick motion, he hoisted her over his shoulder and zipped out the front door.

Hunk was already at the car with Pidge when Lance ran out, Victor's friends behind him with bats. Hunk's eyes widened. “Holy shit, Lance what did you do?”

Lance got to the car amd haphazardly threw Nyma in the backseat with Pidge as Hunk hopped in passenger. Lance wasted no time in starting the car and revving off with Victor's disgruntled friends cursing at him from the front lawn.

Once they were in the clear, Lance slowed and began laughing. Hunk looked at him bewildered. “Lance, what the hell happened? Why are you laughing?”

“I did it, Hunk! I actually punched him.”

Hunk glanced to Lance's hand on the steering wheel. “Oh shit, you're bleeding.” Lance didn't even look down. He knew the punch did some damage to his hand.

“Yeah I think I broke his nose.” He chuckled.

“Oh shit!” Pidge popped up in the back seat. “You actually did it? Lance, that is _badass!”_

“Woo!” Nyma screamed in turn to the roof of her car. “You assholes better watch out because my boyfriend will kick your ass!”

Lance and Hunk exchanged worried glances. “Did she just…” Lance asked and Hunk laughed.

“Yep.”

Lance shook his head. Nyma was drunk and didn't know what she was saying. And Lance was too much on an adrenaline high to be caught up on his relationship status.

He had defended Keith. He put Victor in his place. He was feeling great. He definitely wasn’t a Mama’s Boy anymore. “Damn, it felt so good, Hunk!” Lance relived the moment his fist connected with Victor’s nose to shut him up. The shocked look on Victor’s face as he stumbled back onto the floor. He didn’t think he could do it, but he did. He hoped Keith would hear about it. What would he think-

“Lance!” Hunk’s voice rippled through his thoughts as he swerved back into his lane. “You’re not drunk are you?” Hunk asked, holding onto the dashboard for dear life.

“No, I’m totally sober. I’m just high off of life.” He smirked and bounced happily in his seat. Hunk worried his eyebrows.

“Well, you can slow down. We don’t even know where we’re going.” Hunk glanced back to Pidge. “Where’s your dorm?”

Pidge shrugged as her eyelids drooped. She was dangerously close to blacking out. “The hell if I should know. Just take me to my friend’s apartment.” She pulled out her phone and tapped a few buttons before handing it to Hunk.

He held the GPS out to Lance and they rode out in silence. Lance still had a tiny smile on his face and Hunk noticed. “Geez, you must’ve been really mad about that whole ‘Mama’s Boy’ thing.”

Lance gulped. He was elated and his best friend had no idea why. He’d kept this secret from him for so long and Lance was feeling good. He punched Victor Redding in the face. He felt like he could conquer the world. He glanced over to Hunk. “I’m not really mad about that, actually.”

Hunk scrunched up his face. “Really? Then why-”

“Are they sleep?” Lance cut him off and gestured to the two very drunk girls in the back seat. Hunk flashed his cell phone light and thankfully both girls were out cold. Hunk nodded his head and Lance sighed. He gripped the steering wheel and his knuckles throbbed slightly in pain. “I was mad about Keith.”

“Keith? What about him?”

“I met him during training today...and I don’t know. We started like this rivalry to see who would be the best.” Lance turned the corner.

“Okay. Sounds like something you’d do.”

“Except...except this time was different.” Lance weariedly looked over to Hunk and he could tell he was beyond confused. His heart pounded, but he knew he was ready for this. For Keith, he’d tell the whole world. “Hunk, I’m bisexual.” Hunk’s eyes widened. “And I like Keith.” His eyes opened even further.

Hunk looked forward as he sat in thought. Then suddenly, a slight smile curved on his face. “It makes so much sense.” He said more to himself than to Lance.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Hunk laughed. “Lance, I always kinda knew you were gay. Because dude…” He gestured to Lance’s attire of pastel shorts and opened button-up shirt. “No straight guy dresses like you or has a skin and hair care regimen like you.”

Lance twisted up his face. “Okay, rude. Just because I care about my hygiene and I dress nice doesn't mean-”

“-and plus I knew you liked guys. All throughout high school I saw how you looked at attractive guys, but I thought you’d just tell me when you were ready.”

Lance’s argument died in his mouth. “Oh.”

“I was actually a little worried for you. I thought you just liked guys and only flirted with girls to hide it, but I’m glad you actually liked girls, too.”

Lance’s lip thinned in a line. “Well, yeah.” He pointed back to the slumbering Nyma. “What do you think of her?”

Hunk laughed. “Your ‘girlfriend’? What are you gonna do about that? I mean, what about Keith?”

Lance sighed as the GPS announced that they arrived to their destination. He parked the car in front of the apartment. “I’ll talk to Nyma in the morning when she’s sober and she understands what’s going on. Then...I’ll go talk to Keith and ask him out.”

Hunk slapped Lance’s shoulder. “I’m happy for you, dude. Really.”

“Thanks.” Lance rolled his head back. “Rock, Paper, Scissors for who takes Pidge to her friend?”

“Oh about that.” Hunk muttered and a blush crept on his face. Lance raised his eyebrow. “I’m growing a slight, teeny, tiny crush on Pidge.” Lance’s mouth opened in shock and slapped Hunk’s arm.

“I fucking knew it!” He yelled/laughed like a seal all the while Hunk trying to shush him. Pidge stirred in the back seat and Lance lowered his voice. “I knew it, Hunk. I knew it.”

“Okay, okay.” Hunk rolled his eyes. “Just...shut up and take her, please?”

Lance sat upright in his seat. “You don’t want to be her Knight-In-Shining-Armor, delivering safely her to a doorstep?” Lance folded his hands and batted his eyelashes. Hunk grumbled.

“She makes me a nervous wreck, Lance. My hands get all sweaty and I feel like I’m dying. Just getting her to the car by myself was hell.”

Lance smirked and patted Hunk’s shoulders. “I got you, buddy.” He sighed. “Look at us. A couple of freshmen finding love on the first day.”

Hunk laughed. “Yeah, what is this? Some kind of Rom-Com?”

Lance chuckled. “God, I hope so.”

 

…

 

Keith didn’t think much on how he’d develop friends in college. Pidge was basically his only circle of friends and even then, she had her own friends, leaving him alone from time-to-time. So meeting Shiro was a huge surprise to him. After the meeting with his professors, Shiro invited Keith to dinner and he was able to meet a majority of Shiro’s business major friends.

It had been overwhelming at first because there were so many people, but Shiro always made a note to include Keith in conversation. It was a nice change of pace from Pidge’s tech friends who only talked about hacking or projects that they were working on.

Keith didn’t want to overstay his welcome and cling to Shiro too much. Thankfully he got a call from Pidge and it was the best way to slink away from Shiro and his overly-nice friends.

“Give me a text whenever you want to hang out again.” Shiro called to Keith as he walked away. Keith gave him a thumbs up as he answered the phone.

“Dude, you’re not going to hide out all day because of what happened are you? Engineering isn’t that bad.”

Keith laughed and headed out the cafe building. His apartment was 30 minutes away by walking. Normally, he would get an Uber, but for some reason, the fresh air felt good. He decided to walk. “Nah. I’m okay. That guy Shiro that came to our school took me out to dinner.”

Keith could hear the excitement in her voice. “Like _took you out_ took you out?”

He smirked. “No, just as a friend. His other friends were there too. It was all very casual.”

“Oh.” She sounded disappointed. “Well, did you see that Lance guy again?” Keith grimaced. He tried to pretend he didn’t care, but he was actually pretty hurt that Lance wasn’t there when the fight happened. It could be possible that he didn’t want anything to do with a hot-head like him. He probably scared him off. It wouldn’t be the first time something like that happened.

“No, I didn’t.” Keith answered her question.

“Well, tonight the Garrison is having a party-”

“-ew. Pass.” Keith chuckled. Did Pidge know him at all?

“Hold on, you emo loner. I’m only going to see if I can find my team. Lance is on my team remember? You could come and see him again. I’ll go and introduce myself to my team. It’s a win-win.” Keith thought it over. It would be nice to see Lance again, but he ran away. The last time he saw Keith was probably when he was attacking Victor. Who would stay after that? He couldn’t possibly face Lance now. He felt like his chances were pretty much shot.

“Thanks, Pidge. I’ll be fine. Have fun tonight.”

Pidge sighed in the reciever. “ _Fine.”_ Keith laughed at her dramatic whine. “You’re no fun, you know that?”

Keith nodded. “I’ve been told. See ya, Pidge.”

“Bye.”

Keith walked to his apartment, hands in his pockets, watching as the last of the sunset whisk away into darkness. His mind swam with the events of that day. He never thought when he woke up that morning as a fighter pilot, he’d be coming back home as an engineer.

Piloting was new to him. It gave him action and a chance to use quick-thinking and precision as a skill. He was so excited for it, but now it was thrown away because of that dick, Victor.

Keith cornered the block where his apartment was on. He thought further. It really wasn’t Victor’s fault. He’d been fine holding back his temper the whole time. It was only when he mentioned Lance. Keith sighed as he climbed the steps to his apartment. He turned the key and entered with slumped shoulders. “Fucking Lance.” He muttered in the safety of his home where he wouldn’t be looked at strange for talking to himself.

He went straight to his kitchen and started heating up leftovers. Who was this Lance guy? Why is it that he costed him his entire academic career after knowing him for an just one afternoon? He did some harmless flirting with the guy. But now, he’d been threatened to get expelled from the Garrison. He was demoted to an engineer. All because of Lance.

The microwave dinged and Keith took out his piping hot food. He settled in his living room and turned on Netflix with his feet propped up. He mindlessly scrolled until he just put on old episodes of Supernatural.

Why did Lance leave at the track? The question swirled in his head nonstop. He thought that maybe they had a good thing running, but it’s possible he ruined it. Damn it. Another thought popped into his mind as he took a bite of his chicken.

Maybe Lance wasn’t gay. Maybe he somehow heard the homophobic slurs Victor was saying and Lance wanted to be far away from Keith as possible. Victor _was_ being crude and although Keith would love nothing more than do those things with Lance, that should be decided between him and Lance. Privately. Without the whole fucking school knowing. Keith took a deep breath. His thoughts were travelling in circles and it was getting tiresome.

His phone beeped and he checked it.

 **Shiro** (22:37) : I had a great time with you today. Like I said, feel free to text if you need anything

Keith smiled. He was glad to have Shiro. He was a much needed friend right now. Keith’s every inclination would be to just ignore his text, but thought that would be fucked up considering Shiro was going out of his way for Keith’s sake. Not to seem too eager, he texted back.

 **Keith** (22:37) : Thanks. Same to you.

Keith gobbled the rest of his food before laying out on his couch. Sleep soon found him as his favorite show played quietly in the background. And he had dreams of a certain tan boy, with chocolate hair and deep, ocean blue eyes

Keith woke up to a gentle pounding on his door. “The hell?” He groggily checked his phone and it read: 01:34. The knocking continued and Keith slowly moved from his couch. “Who the hell would be here?” He lived alone. He never got visitors except for Pidge. He walked down the small corridor to the front door. He had a mirror by the door and he brushed his black hair down roughly and wiped any slobber from his mouth before answering the impatient knocker.

“What the hell…” Keith began angrily but then his breath left his body. “...do you want?” He ended softly. Lance was standing on his stoop, looking just as lost and confused. He held a strung-out Pidge in his arms. Keith snapped into reality. “Pidge?” He questioned. She lifted her head with a weak smile, her eyes still closed.

“Keith!” She laughed.

“Um…” Lance fumbled. “We went out and she kinda got wasted.” He chuckled. Keith smirked.

“Yeah, she is a bit of a lightweight.” He shook his head and moved out the way. “Could you set her down on the couch?” Keith could’ve very well taken her, but he needed an excuse to invite Lance inside.

As Lance shuffled her in, Keith checked his teeth and breath in the mirror. It wasn’t the best, but it would have to do. He didn’t know what to expect, but he just wanted to be ready. Lance laid Pidge down and noticed the paused Netflix on his T.V. “Oh, cool, you watch Supernatural, too?”

Keith sauntered into the living room and nodded. “Oh, yeah. I...uh, was just watching the old episodes.”

“Yeah, they’re hot aren’t they?” Lance asked. Keith furrowed his brows. _Did he mean that? Or did he just say that for my benefit?_ Keith didn’t get a chance to ask because Lance was already heading towards the door.

“I guess I’ll go then.” He said. Then Pidge shot up from the couch.

“Keith! You fucking missed it!” They turned back to the pint-sized drunk rolling on the couch happily. “Lance fucking decked Victor in the face! He broke his nose!”

Keith turned wide-eyed to Lance. They were much closer now and Keith could see the red tint rising on Lance’s cheeks. “Yeah, well...the guy’s a major dick.” He said and walked into the hallway leading to the front door, away from Pidge who slumped back onto the couch to flip through Keith's Netflix.

Keith laughed and followed after Lance. “He _is_ a major dick.” Keith went to open the door the same time Lance reached for it. He quickly recoiled his hand when it touched Lance’s. “Sorry.” He looked away and Lance smiled.

“Don’t have to say sorry. It’s your doorknob.”

Keith’s face felt hot. “Right. Well, thanks for dropping her off.”

“It’s my pleasure.” Lance responded, still not opening the door. He was busy staring down Keith who was at the moment fighting the urge to pin Lance against the wall and kiss his brains out. But he kept himself under control despite their bodies being so close to each other. Keith noticed Lance's blistered hand. “Oh,” Lance glanced down. “Yeah...I think Victor's face is made of brick.” Keith laughed.

“I’m sorry about your hand. But I'm glad you put Victor in his place.” Keith offered.

“Pssht. You did most of the work. The guy looked like hell.” They laughed and Keith boldly put his hand on Lance’s open chest. They paused to look down at Keith’s hand, but Lance instinctively wrapped his free hand around Keith’s waist. They stood there for a few silent seconds.

“Why did you do it?” Keith asked softly, causing Lance to lean a little forward to hear him. “Why did you punch him?”

Lance grinned. “Like I said. The guy was an asshole.”

Keith didn’t smile back this time. He needed to know. He needed a positive answer because he was falling for this boy fast and he would never be able to forgive himself if Lance was yet another straight boy looking for a homosexual experience. He’d be damned to go through that again. “Right.” Keith tilted his head to the side. “But...why did you leave...earlier?”

Lance’s hands fell lax against Keith’s body and his gaze dropped. “Something important came up...but I promise I didn’t see what happened. I didn’t know you got into a fight until Pidge said something.” That eased Keith a little, but he still felt unsure. Lance regained his grip on Keith’s waist. It all felt so natural. It felt right to him. Especially when Lance leaned forward to his ear and held him tighter. “But I’m here now.” He whispered and Keith could’ve sworn his soul left his body. He cupped Lance’s face and rubbed his thumb on his lower lip, all the while looking into Lance’s eyes. Everything in him wanted to run and hide from Lance. Keith hated being vulnerable and this boy mere inches from his face had every power to destroy him. Keith pleaded within himself, _Don't do it. He could be straight. He could have a girlfriend. He could be just fucking with you._ But Lance had an endearing look in his eyes. And Keith couldn't take his eyes away. He needed him. And he was willing to place his heart in his hands.

Lance suddenly closed his eyes and Keith didn’t hesitate. He pulled Lance gently by his neck until their lips met. Keith’s knees wobbled as Lance pressed his mouth onto his. It was all very soft at first. Lance wasn’t pushy or overzealous. He tasted sweet and took his time as if he was learning the way Keith’s lips curved with his. Closed mouth kisses were fine, but Keith wanted more. He then tilted his head and opened his mouth, letting Lance slide his tongue in. The kiss was bumpy and awkward, but then it started to mesh sloppily. Keith gripped the back of Lance’s head, playing in his chocolatey brown locs between his fingers. Lance’s chest was right up against Keith and he could feel the uneven rise and fall of his breaths. It was so beautifully human, to see someone become a mess of emotion like that and they both couldn’t get enough.

Keith wanted Lance to push him against the wall and as if he read his mind, Keith was suddenly being pressed against it. Their kiss never broke until Keith had to come up for air. Once they did, Lance looked down to him, took a deep breath, and chuckled. He smiled smugly. “I’ve been wanting to do that all day.”

“Me, too.” Keith whispered with a hint of a smile and pulled Lance closer for another kiss when they heard a car beep from outside. Lance rolled his eyes.

“Shit.” The warmth left Keith’s body as Lance stepped back and reached for the doorknob again. This time, he actually opened it. Keith scrunched his eyebrows watching Lance. “I have to go. I’m sorry.”

“Oh, okay.” Keith peered past him to see the running car and a larger guy in the passenger seat. He recognized him from training early that day.

“But I’ll see you tomorrow.” Lance assured and stepped out. Keith desperately wanted to cling onto Lance. At least for one last kiss, but as quickly as he came, he was gone. As Lance jogged to the car, he heard a shrill voice from the back window.

“Babe! What took you so long?” The girl called before Lance quickly pulled off. Confused, Keith closed the door. It could have been a misunderstanding, right? Maybe that girl wasn’t talking to Lance. It doesn’t automatically mean Lance was dating her. It didn’t mean that Lance was straight...right?

Keith walked back into the living room and Pidge was half-asleep, flipping through his Netflix. She was so out of it, that she barely knew what just happened with him and Lance in the hallway. “Your choices on here suck.” She said simply as Keith went to the kitchen to get her some water. Images of his kiss with Lance played over in his mind and his heart felt like it was in a tizzy. To Keith, their kiss was perfect. He wanted so much more Lance. It pained him to see him go, but he wasn’t going to plead with him to stay. If he wanted to stay the night, he would’ve. But Keith told himself that he had nothing to worry about because if that kiss was anything to go by, it seemed like Lance really did like him back.

Then that feeling washed over when he thought about whoever that girl was in the backseat. A knot twisted in his stomach. God, he wished every doubting feeling he had about Lance was wrong.

He came back and set the glass on the coffee table. He sighed deeply. “Well, I’m sorry my Netflix isn't as exciting as your night out.”

“Keith!” She exclaimed again and turned to him. “It was fucking insane!”

Keith laughed. “Yeah, I know.”

“Lance punched Victor!”

“You told me already, Pidge!” Keith obnoxiously matched her volume and chuckled.

“Yeah, and then...Hunk, he’s our engineer, he carried me outside. And then Lance grabbed Nyma, she’s his girlfriend and we ran…” Keith’s smile vanished and that knot in his stomach tightened.

“Wait, what?”

“What?” Pidge asked, not bothering to look up from the screen, totally unaware of Keith’s shocked face.

“Lance has a girlfriend?”

Pidge nodded. “Yeah. She drove us, she’s super nice. I think you’ll like her. I think you’ll like Hunk, too. He’s our engineer and we went to…” She continued to drunkenly ramble off about her adventurous night, but Keith paid it no mind.

 _Lance has a fucking girlfriend?!_ Keith was pissed. And he was pissed that he was right all along. That bitch in the car was his girlfriend. Lance was straight and just wanted a secret little taste of homosexuality before going back to her. No wonder he didn’t stay. No wonder he ran away...again. _This is such bullshit! I tried to not to fall for him, but what the hell, Keith? You did it again._ “Another fucking straight guy.” Keith muttered, but Pidge didn’t hear him.

“...and then he was yelling at me...Keith?” She glanced up as Keith stood to his feet.

“I’m going to bed. Call me if you need aspirin or something.” And he left her speechless. In his room, Keith punched his pillow, wishing he could erase the taste of Lance on his lips, but no matter how hard he rubbed his lips clean, all he could picture was Lance’s body against his. He could taste whatever chapstick Lance was wearing that night just faintly. He reminded him of coconut. Keith groaned and wanted to kick himself. No matter how hard he tried to pretend he didn’t care about Lance, he knew that wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted Lance. He wanted him to want him back. And most of all, he wished to the heavens that for once, just fucking once, he could be wrong.

Keith flopped on his bed thinking about everything Lance said to him that day during training. Lance wanted to beat his scores. He wanted to be rivals. “I’ll be your fucking rival, you asshole.” He spoke to the air as if Lance was in the room. “I’ll make you wish you never even messed with me.”

 

…

 

After a sleepless night, Keith came to their Chemistry class, gripping his black coffee for dear life. He and Lance shared that class, so he figured that’s what Lance meant by saying he’d see him tomorrow. Keith didn’t want to think about it. He didn’t want to think about his stupid ass girlfriend.

But he didn’t get what he wanted. As soon as he settled in his seat and set his laptop out to wait for class to start, he felt someone sit in the seat beside him, uncomfortably close. Furrowing his brows, he looked over to see Lance smiling at him holding two cups of coffee. “Oh, I see you have one already.” Keith grunted and turned his attention to his laptop. Lance raised an eyebrow and backed up from him a bit. “Okay…” Lance pushed the second coffee to him. “It looks like you could use two coffees today. Not much sleep?” Lance attempted to get a chuckle out of him, but Keith snapped his laptop shut. Lance stared up at him shocked.

“What the hell do you want, Lance?”

Lance’s mouth dropped, too shocked to feel hurt. Too shocked to feel anything really. “Well, I…”

“You what?” Keith asked. “You were expecting something?” The hurt feelings finally caught up to Lance and he nodded stiffly. Keith had to ignore the lump in his own throat. He hated doing this, but he was not going to be the only one hurt here. “Well, don’t.” Keith pushed the coffee back to him. “Take your coffee. We’re rivals remember? So go give it to your girlfriend or whatever.”

Lance finally looked Keith in the eyes, tears starting to pool. “Who, Nyma? How did you know-”

“-Yeah. I know about Nyma. So go fucking talk her ear off and leave me alone.”

Keith didn’t dare look at Lance. He couldn’t. He was sure that he’d cry on the spot. Lance shook his head and grabbed his coffees. When he spoke, his voice was watery and it shook. “Fuck you, Keith.” He whispered and quickly left, even though they had class.

Once he was sure that Lance left the room, Keith put his head down and allowed a few tears to fall before picking his head up, quickly wiping his cheeks dry before anyone else saw. _I’m doing the right thing. He doesn’t like me. He’s just messing around with me. I need to protect myself._

All throughout his class, nothing the professor said registered in his head. Keith just kept picturing the hurt look in Lance’s eyes and Keith repeated to himself.

_I’m doing the right thing._

_I’m doing the right thing._

_Right?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What Lance's mom says on the phone:  
> Watch your tongue. Don't rush me.  
> I love you and God watch over you.


	5. Change Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so we're back in the present, picking up from when Keith and Lance argued after getting assigned as partners
> 
> Warning: This chapter starts off with a wee bit of smut. If you don't want to read it, then you can skip around the asterisks.

_*_

_“Nnngh...Lance…”_

“You like that?”

“Uh huh.”.

“What about like this?” Lance held her hips in place and made much slower and longer strokes. Nyma threw her head back, moaning and grasping at the sheets. Her face twisted in pleasure.

 _“Fuck, yes!”_ She screamed. Lance closed his eyes to focus on what he was doing. He didn’t want to think about Keith, or their project, or their argument earlier that day. But that was exactly what led him to Nyma’s room. He was pissed about Keith after class and came barreling to Nyma, asking no questions, just kissing her immediately and quickly stripping off her clothes.

Nyma knew Lance was upset. And whenever they had angry sex, it was never because of an argument that they had. She knew it was always because of Keith. And as always, she obliged without opposition. “Damn, Lance…” She scratched at his back as he kept pushing in and out of her.

Lance blocked out her moans. He was so pissed at Keith. _Why the hell would he say that? We’ve become at least a little civil since freshman year._ After that night of their kiss three years ago and Keith snapping at him the next morning, Lance couldn’t even be in the same room as Keith for like two months. But over time, they learned to be cordial (with some insults shot here and there). But today was something different. _What the hell did I ever do to him?_ Lance could feel that he was on the verge of coming and slowed his thrusts. He wasn’t done yet. He needed to get his anger out. “Turn over.” He directed to Nyma.

Nyma blinked her eyes open. She definitely knew this had to be about Keith now. She knew what was coming next. She turned on her stomach and Lance lifted her ass in the air. She squinted her eyes and bit into her pillow as Lance stuck his tongue in her hole, using his fingers to stretch her out a little. Once she was good, he rubbed his dick a few times before sliding it into her ass. A string of curses blew out of Nyma’s mouth.

“You okay?” Lance asked. She nodded her head and he went slow, very shallow thrusts to help her get used to it. Lance was always considerate when they had sex, but this time, he started to lose himself. He groaned when his dick went all the way inside. He huffed over her body and started to push in and out again. Lance peeked his eyes open to stare at the back of Nyma’s head.

He didn’t mean to. It just happened. And this usually happened when he was furious with Keith. But Lance pictured Nyma’s shoulders becoming a little more broader and muscular. He imagined her hair becoming much shorter and turning black. And he pretended her moans were deeper and rougher...much like Keith’s. With his source of anger in mind, he pushed harder into Nyma. _Why are you such an ass to me?_ Lance held Nyma’s shoulders taut. _You don’t do this shit to Shiro and he’s been keeping you a secret!_ He held her hips in his other hand and went faster. _Damn you, Keith. Just…_ He could feel himself coming. _Just...fucking…_ he started to spurt out. _Just love me!_

“Lance!” Nyma called and the image he had of Keith underneath him whisked away. He immediately stopped. “You’re...you’re hurting me.”

*

Lance pulled out. “Shit...I’m so sorry.” He turned Nyma over and kissed her jaw, her shoulders, all of over. “Dammit. I’m so sorry.”

Nyma sat up and slightly pushed him back. “It’s okay.” She said. She didn’t look him in the eye. She only slumped off the bed and went to the bathroom. Lance groaned and fell back onto the bed, slipping the cum-filled condom off and tossing it in the trash. _What the hell is wrong with me?_ He was usually so considerate. He’d picture Keith when having sex before, but he’d never lost control like that. This was getting too dangerous. He was hurting Nyma and he was hurting himself. He realized… he couldn’t do this anymore.

Lance sat on the edge of the bed when Nyma came back out the bathroom dressed in her robe. He started to apologize again. “It’s not okay, Nyma. I was hurting you and I didn’t even realize it.”

Nyma sat beside him and rubbed his back. “You’re upset. I know.” She tried to tread lightly. “What...what happened? Was it something with your family? Is Veronica sick again?” She knew that wasn’t the reason, but knowing how hard Lance tries to keep his feelings for Keith a secret, it was better to just be oblivious.

“No...that’s not it.” Lance put his head in his hands. He felt so torn. Everything in him was saying to just forget about Keith. He had a beautiful girl by his side. A girl that was understanding and forgiving. A girl that his family liked. A girl that was fun. But then why the hell does his mind keep going back to Keith?

It’d been three years since he’d met him and his love for the emo asshole only grew. He thought distancing himself from Keith would work, but that proved useless since their circle of friends and most of their classes were the same. He’d try hurling insults at him. He tried being an ass to him, but every time he saw him, he just thought about the first time they met. He thought about that kiss with Keith in his apartment freshman year and how it felt so _right._ He loved the way Keith was hardened, but yet showed his sensitivity with his friends, even sometimes with Lance. He loved arguing with him and teasing him. He loved how annoyingly talented Keith was at _everything_ he did. Lance loved to watch Keith in class and his little mannerisms, like furrowing his brows in concentration or drumming his fingers on the desk. He loved that there was so much more about Keith that he had yet to uncover. And most of all he realized the reason he and Nyma could never work was because...he just really loved Keith.

It made no sense. And it made no sense keeping it a secret to Nyma. It wasn’t right. And he couldn’t keep silent anymore.

“Nyma…”

“Hmm?” She continued rubbing his back in circles.

“I have something to tell you.” She stopped and looked at him directly. Lance cleared his throat and took her hands in his. There was no need to beat around the bush. “I’m bisexual.”

Nyma’s eyes widened and her lips turned up into a slight smile. “Oh.” She short-circuited for a second, but then nodded her head. “Right.”

“Right?”

“Oh...no. I mean. I knew that already, Lance.” Lance took his hands away from her.

“How the hell did you know that? How does everyone always know already before I tell them?”

Nyma snickered. “Well, I knew the day I met you. I just had a feeling from you.” Lance stared at her hardwood floors in thought and she continued. “But Lance,” she continued rubbing his back. “I never cared about any of that. I liked you for you. And I knew you liked me...so I didn’t think it mattered.”

“So...you really didn’t care.” His gaze returned to hers and she smiled.

“Not at all.” Her face was so warm and Lance felt like the biggest asshole on the planet. He didn’t know how he was going to do this. He’d broken up with Nyma before, obviously. But he also knew that they’d somehow just end up back together. But now, he knew that this time would be final. He wasn’t ready to rip of the Band-Aid and jump into the unknown without the safety net of running back to Nyma. But it was worth it. She deserved to be let go. “You’re breaking up with me, aren’t you?” Lance’s eyes widened and Nyma threw out a cheap laugh, removing her hand from his back once more. “This was just pity sex?”

“No, it wasn’t.” Lance quickly clarified. He never planned on breaking up when he came over, but there was no way to make Nyma understand that. “No...I.” He sighed. “Yeah...I want to break up.”

Nyma smiled and checked the clock on her desk. “That was fast. Our relationship lasted a whole four hours today. I wonder how long next time is gonna be.” She laughed and looked back to Lance. Her smile relaxed when Lance didn’t laugh. He only stood up to grab his underwear off the floor and started getting dressed. She watched silently as he placed his shirt back on and then he sat back down next to her.

“This next part is a little harder to say.” He bit his lip. “I...uh…”

“Dammit, Lance, just say it.” Her joviality a moment ago completely vanished. Her green eyes were widened in anticipation.

Lance cleared his throat. “I’m in love with someone else...I’m in love with Keith.” He tried to not look at her when he finally said it, but he couldn’t look away. Her eyes closed and when she opened them, it was glossed over with tears. But yet, there was a hint of a smile on her face. She chuckled cheaply as a tear rolled down her cheek. “Nyma, I’m so-”

“It took you long enough.” She said softly. She lightly smacked his cheek then rubbed it. “Oh, Lance. Fucking Lance.” He raised his eyebrow.

“You’re taking this surprisingly well.” She wiped her eyes dry.

“You know why we work so well together, Lance? Why we’ve managed to only be with each other and no one else for three years?”

Lance shrugged. “Because we’re idiots?” Nyma laughed.

“Well, yeah, that. But also...we’re cowards. We’re people who are too afraid to be with the people we love, so we stay with each other because it’s safe.” Lance squinted his eyes to try to understand and Nyma explained further. “Lance, you’ve loved Keith for a while, right?” He nodded his head. “But yet, you stayed with me. I, on the other hand, love someone too, but I can never be with him. We’re afraid to be vulnerable with the ones we really love.”

“Oh,” Lance said finally understanding. They sat in silence, thinking about how fucked up this situation was. “I’m sorry, Nyma. I do love you, I just…”

“Trust me, Lance. I understand. I love you too. I’m just more mad at myself because you have the guts to do something about it.” Nyma said and laid back on her bed. Lance watched her bare leg poke through her robe. “I’m just going to miss you, Lance.”

“We’ll still be friends.” He offered and she shot him a look and he laughed. “Right.”

“I mean, yeah, we’ll be friends. But I’ll miss your closeness.” She reached out for his hand and he gave it to her. She pulled him slightly and he lied down beside her. Her robe opened up and he kissed her collarbone, up her neck until he reached her lips. She ran her fingers through his hair. “I’ll miss this.” She said against his lips. He kissed her gently, for one final time. When he pulled back, she had a tear in the corner of her eye and he wiped it. He laid his head down on her bare breasts, holding her tightly.

“I will, too.”

After pausing in time for a few minutes, they finally decided to get up. Nyma escorted Lance to the front door. They hovered in the archway and she smiled brokenly at him. “I really hope things works out with Keith.”

Lance seriously doubted it. He didn’t plan on sabotaging his secret relationship with Shiro. He just needed a clean break and to quit hiding from his feelings. It was time to face it head-on. “Thanks. I hope the same for your mystery guy.” She nodded and gave him a final hug goodbye.

 

…

 

In the Uber ride back to his apartment, Lance stared at the open conversation between him and Keith. He hadn’t sent his message yet. After Keith’s blow-up in class that morning, Lance wasn’t sure how he was going to respond. But they only had two weeks to do their project. They’d have to put their feelings aside and try to get it done.

 **Lance** (12:09) : Hey, we need to put all differences aside and do our project. Are you up for it?

He pressed send and waited anxiously for him to reply. It wasn’t until he reached his apartment and the Uber dropped him off that he heard his phone ping.

 **Keith** (12:22) : Yeah, sure.

 **Lance** (12:22) : Okay...cool. So where at?

 **Keith** (12:23) : Library. I’ll meet you in 20.

Lance sighed as he opened his front door and kicked off his shoes.

 **Lance** (12:25) : I kinda just got home.

 **Lance** (12:25) : Any way you can just come here?

 **Keith** (12:27) : To your apartment?

 **Lance** (12:27) : That’ll be my home

 **Keith** (12:28) : I’ve never been to your place before

 **Lance** (12:29) : There’s a first for everything

 **Lance** (12:29) : And don’t worry...i won’t get the wrong idea thinking you’re my friend or anything

 **Keith** (12:31) : ...ok

Lance sent him his address and plopped on the couch. He felt drained and tired and it was only one in the afternoon. He turned on the T.V. to wait for Keith to come, but he wasn’t too invested in the show playing. His mind went over their argument from that morning. Although Keith was being a major ass, Lance realized that he didn’t help diffuse the situation at all. He was still hurt that Keith didn’t even consider him as a friend. But that’s fine. Hopefully his feelings will just go away. Lance groaned to the ceiling. This was going to be the longest two weeks of his life.

“What’s up, buddy?”

Lance tilted his head back to see Hunk in the kitchen, half-naked and dripping wet with a towel snugly fit around his waist. He was packing an extravagant lunch. Lance didn’t even notice him when he came in. He sat up on the couch to face him. “I broke up with Nyma.” Hunk nodded and went to the refrigerator. “And Keith is coming over.” Hunk froze and looked back.

“What do you mean coming over?” He walked into the living room, pausing at the back of the couch. Lance glanced up to him.

“Not like that. We have a project to do. But I did break up with Nyma. For reals this time.” Hunk looked skeptical so Lance continued. “I told her I was in love with Keith.” Hunk’s eyes widened.

“Oh, shit.” Lance grimaced and nodded in agreement. “How’d she take it?”

“Pretty well, actually. She said she knew all along.”

Hunk chuckled and returned to the kitchen. “I would hope so. Pidge and I were actually worried that she was dumb as rocks if she didn’t realize that by now. I mean, she’s a tech specialist, she should be a little smart, right?”

Lance dropped the remote in his hand. “What the hell? Pidge knows I like Keith too?” Hunk glanced back.

“Dude, it’s been three years and you’re not the most subtle person in the world.” Lance pouted and laid out on the couch. Hunk’s voice carried over. “Here...I’m making lunch for me and Pidge. I’ll leave you a sandwich to make you feel better.” Lance raised two fingers in the air for Hunk to see.

“Make it two! One for me, one for Keith.”

“Oh, right. Your little study date.”

“Yes on the study. No on the date. I need to be a good host and feed him.”

“Sure.” Hunk laughed and wrapped up two sandwiches and left them on the counter. After packing up the rest of their lunch, he walked back into the living room to see Lance laid out, an arm dramatically draped over his eyes. “Dude, just ask him out already.” Lance peeked from under his arm.

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

Lance sighed and images of Shiro flashed across his mind. “I just can’t. It’s complicated.” To avoid the topic any further, he eyed his half-naked friend up and down. “Go put clothes on! Your towel doesn’t hide that much.” He chuckled. Hunk waved him off.

“Whatever...just ask him out!” He called over his shoulders as he went into his room and shut the door. _If only, big guy. If only._ Lance’s phone suddenly pinged.

 **Keith** (13:11) : I’m here

Lance didn’t know why he felt so nervous, but he hurriedly scrambled to his feet and went to the front door. When he opened it, Keith was walking up the steps. He glimpsed up to Lance under his bangs and Lance’s stomach felt queasy. _This is going to be so hard._

“Did you walk?” Lance asked noticing the sweat on Keith’s face. Keith stopped in front of him and shrugged.

“I like to walk.” He said simply, though clearly out of breath. Lance nodded and remembered to step out of the way so Keith could come in. Lance watched him with his backpack slugged over one shoulder. Keith glanced to the collection of shoes by the hallway and respectfully removed his shoes.

“Thanks.” Lance muttered and gestured him further inside to the couch. Keith was quiet. Oddly more quiet than normal. He sat on the complete opposite side of Lance. “So...I like the topic.” Lance began. He got his backpack and pulled out his syllabus and laptop and Keith began doing the same. Lance caught onto his odd behavior. Keith wore a scowl on his face, but at the same time shifted uneasily on the couch. He barely said a word. “Keith...are...are you okay?”

Keith finally looked over to him and nodded. He sighed and his scowl was replaced with a blank face. “I’m sorry...about this morning.” Lance’s eyes blinked wide. “What I said was uncalled for and...I lose my temper sometimes.”

Lance’s shocked face relaxed into a smirk. “I’ve noticed.” He chuckled. “But, I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have said that about you and Shiro. It wasn’t my place.” Keith gave Lance a look that made him feel weak. Keith looked so...soft. And then...he smiled. A blush rose on Lance’s face. “Okay...so...skyglow.” Lance buried himself in the barrage of papers he took out of his folder. “I signed us up to use the observatory next week.”

“Nice. Thanks.” Keith said. He seemed to be a lot more relaxed and that made Lance happy. Keith wiped the sweat from his face and Lance remembered that he didn’t offer him anything. Lance suddenly shot up.

“I’ll get you some water.” He went to the kitchen to get him a bottle of water when he saw the sandwiches on the counter. “Also, Hunk made us lunch.” He brought them out, placing them before Keith on the coffee table. “He’s the best.” He smiled nervously. Keith took the water and nodded.

“Tell him thanks for me.”

At that moment, Hunk came barreling out of his room, repeating the word, _“Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.”_ As he ran to the kitchen to grab the lunches, his backpack, his laptop, _and_ to put on his shoes at the same time.

“You okay, big guy?” Lance asked as he watched his friend fumble over in a hurry.

“Yeah. I thought we were meeting at two. I was supposed to be there at one. Pidge is going to kill me.” He said mostly to himself. Lance saw Keith snicker in the corner of his eye. Hunk finally had his shoes on and all his materials in hand. “Alright, I’m off to see m’lady. See you fellas later. Keith, good day, good sir.”

Keith saluted to him. “Thanks for the sandwiches.” Hunk nodded and head out the door.

“See ya, you big beautiful man!” Lance called and they could hear Hunk laugh and call back, “See ya!” before closing the door behind him. Lance had a smile on his face when he returned to his work, but he felt eyes on him. He lifted his head to see Keith looking at him, with that same hesitant face like when he first came over. “What?” He asked.

Keith shifted before answering. “Why do you do that?” Lance raised his eyebrow.

“Do what?”

Keith gestured to the door where Hunk just left. “Like...give compliments...I mean...do you mean it?” Lance placed the paper he had in his hand down.

“Of course I mean it. I’m not big on lying.” Keith eyed him up and down. Lance wondered what was going through his head. “Why? Does it bother you?”

Keith brushed back his hair. “No...but last year...you said something.”

“I say a lot of things. You have to be more specific.” Lance laughed, but Keith didn’t.

“Spirit week.” He said seriously and Lance automatically knew what he was referring to, and in case he didn’t, Keith clarified. “You said if you were dating someone, you’d parade them around…”

“Right.”

Keith paused and Lance could see his cheeks turning pink. “Well...would you still do that if you were dating a guy?” Lance answered without hesitation.

“Hell yeah.” Keith’s eyes widened.

“You would?”

“Yeah. Especially if it was you…” Lance froze and Keith finally caught onto what he said. _Why the hell did I just say that? He’s probably going to cuss me out again._ They stared at each other for a moment and Lance suddenly realized that he somehow sat much closer to Keith while they were talking. He tried to slyly scoot away from him. Keith finally blinked and opened his laptop as if nothing happened.

“I started mapping out where we’ll be measuring.” He said softly. Lance gulped. Right. They were there to do their project. Lance had told himself that he’d have to put his feelings aside, no matter how much he wanted to tell Keith. The reality was that Keith didn’t like him. He was sure he only tolerated him for Pidge’s sake. And also, Keith had a boyfriend. And Lance hated cheaters, so he’d be damned to try to make Keith become one.

Once again, Keith and Lance ignored Lance’s comment and pretended it never happened. They worked on their project well into the night, laying out the base work before having to use the observatory the following week. Lance ordered Chinese food around six o’clock and paid for both of their meals despite Keith insisting he pay for his half. They got more comfortable, Keith actually laughed at one of Lance’s jokes and it felt like their argument that morning never even happened.

Further into the night, Lance noticed that Keith’s yawns were becoming more frequent. His eyes drooped every other second and he began to slouch in the sofa. Lance was sitting on the floor at this point, using the coffee table as a desk as he wrote out an equation when he heard light snoring behind him. He turned back and Keith was fast asleep with papers scattered on his chest. Lance grinned. “You adorable asshole.”

Lance didn’t want to wake him. He quietly removed his papers and gathered them into his folder. He closed Keith’s laptop and stood up. He went to their closet to get out his drunk blanket and fanned it over Keith. Lance kneeled down to pick up his own papers, but stopped to gaze at Keith. He looked so peaceful. He was beautiful. His pink lips were curved in a circle as a slight snore breathed out. Their kiss three years ago seemed like a dream. Lance never forgave himself for leaving so quickly that night, but he had no choice. He needed to get Nyma and Hunk home. He wasn’t going to leave them stranded outside while he felt up his crush. Besides, he had a plan. He was going to start a relationship with Keith the morning after.

But apparently, Keith had other ideas when he yelled at him that same morning. Lance always wondered what would’ve happened if he just stayed with Keith and told Hunk to take Nyma home. Would Keith still be so pissed at him? But then would Hunk be pissed at him for abandoning him? He’d never know. He just knew that for some reason, Keith hated him and he had no idea why. Lance sighed and moved the blanket up closer to Keith’s chin when Keith sleepily reached his hand out and held Lance’s arm. Lance immediately wrote it off as Keith just being tired and confused, but…

“Lance.. _._ ” Keith moaned and gripped Lance’s arm.

“Yeah?” Lance asked, leaning closer.

Through closed eyes, Keith scrunched up his face. He looked in pain, as if he was having a nightmare. He gripped Lance’s arm tighter and bit his lip. “Lance... _fuck yo…”_ Then suddenly, Keith was snoring again and shifted in his sleep to face the back part of the couch.

Lance’s face dropped. “Of course.” Even in his dreams Keith hated him.

A buzzing sound turned Lance’s attention to Keith’s phone on the coffee table. He usually didn’t snoop on other people’s property, but his phone kept going off. He just tapped the screen and messages from Shiro popped up. He couldn’t read them completely because his phone was locked, but he got the gist of it.

 **Shiro** (21:37) : Are you still at Lanc…

 **Shiro** (22:11) : Keith, are you mad…

 **Shiro** (22:13) : Call me when you g…

 **Shiro** (22:20) : I’m sorry for what I…

 **Shiro** (22:22) : I’ll pick you up just…

The messages kept coming and Lance just put it back down. He glanced over to Keith, wondering if he should wake him, but he looked exhausted. He decided to just let him sleep. They’d been working on their project for like nine hours, they deserved a good night’s rest. Lance was tempted to sleep on the floor in front of the couch so he’d be close to Keith, but he knew his place.

He turned off the lights, leaving the glow of the T.V. on, and reluctantly went to his room for the night.

 

…

 

Keith always had mixed feelings about his plan. Three years ago, he told himself that he’d get revenge on Lance for messing with him that night when they kissed. So any time Keith felt that familiar pull on his heart whenever he got too close to Lance, he had to make it clear. He hated Lance and he needed to crush Lance in the process. Although, this morning, he might have overdone it.

He couldn’t help it. He was already pissed for allowing himself to fall like putty in Shiro’s hands, taking on the brunt of the weirdness of their secret relationship. He was okay with it when it was just him and Shiro because he understood Shiro and what he was going through. It was only when he came face-to-face with Lance that he somewhat felt...guilty? He felt like Lance was secretly judging him for still dating Shiro after keeping it a secret for a year. And it pissed him off that Lance not once used it against him in an argument like he expected him to...until that morning.

He finally said it. Lance finally confirmed Keith’s fear of being looked at as foolish… stupid… maybe even desperate. So naturally, he couldn’t keep a lid on his anger and lashed out. He took his frustration straight to the gym after he stormed out of class. He had to get his anger out. He’d been there most of the morning until he got the text from Lance to come work on their project.

He was still pissed about everything and working out only helped a little. So, the walk to Lance’s apartment allowed Keith to rationalize the emotions swirling around in his head. It was during his walk that he realized he was too harsh that morning and that he had to apologize to Lance as soon as possible before he chickened out.

Walking up the steps to Lance’s apartment, his heart felt like cement. He’d never apologized to Lance like this before. And he didn’t know how to do it without revealing he was only acting like an ass because he had confusing feelings toward Lance and he was just trying to drown it out with insults.

But Keith somehow managed to get it out even though he felt like throwing up the whole time, but he wouldn’t dare do that. Lance’s apartment smelled and looked like a hotel. It was so clean and well decorated with actual French paintings on the wall, a coffee table, and he even had magazines placed on the counter in the kitchen. Who the hell still read magazines? It was hard to believe two guys lived here. Keith’s apartment was bare at best. He didn’t need much to get by.

But what Lance’s apartment had that added to its warmth, was Lance. He knew how to carry a conversation. He knew how to make Keith feel comfortable without getting too close. Lance knew how to talk and laugh just enough to ease Keith’s nerves, allowing him to melt into his couch. Especially after their Chinese takeout for dinner, Keith sunk lower into Lance’s sofa with a relaxed smile on his face. He even caught himself laughing at Lance’s joke about Professor Ryu and his ridiculous comb-over.

Lance was sitting on the floor, working out an equation for their project when he felt the tug on his eyelids. He realized he overdid it in the gym that morning, _and_ he walked an additional forty-five minutes to Lance’s apartment to work off his steam. Plus, they’d been working for hours. He was exhausted. Lance was blabbering about something as he worked and Keith watched the back of his head from the couch. He studied Lance’s chocolate short curls. His slender neck and the way he bobbed his head when he spoke. Keith had a hint of a smile on his face when he finally fell asleep.

*

_“Harder...fuck.” Keith wrapped his legs tighter around Lance’s waist, urging Lance to slam into him. Lance held Keith up with his toned caramel arms and pushed fervently. Keith moaned. “Yes...just...just like that.”_

_Lance hovered over Keith on the couch, pressing quick kisses on Keith’s shoulder, on his neck, then finally connecting their lips together. Keith moaned into Lance’s mouth, loving the pressure he felt inside him from Lance’s thrusts. His fingers tangled at the back of Lance’s head. “Lance…” He barely pushed out his mouth and tilted his head back into the throw pillow. He felt so good. Lance smirked and started to go faster, knowing that would make Keith come completely undone. “Lance!” Keith said a little louder and gripped his forearm. “Fuck yo…” he trailed off as Lance pounded him into ecstasy._

_*_

Keith woke up by a gentle shake of his shoulder. He turned over and saw the blue-eyed Cuban boy from his dream and smiled. Unthinkingly, he reached up and cupped his face in his hand. He was about to pull him down for a morning kiss, but Lance raised his eyebrow. “Uh...good morning?”

Reality zapped back to Keith. He was in Lance’s apartment. No, they weren’t together. He was there to work on their project. And no, despite how real his dream felt, they didn’t have sex last night. Keith suddenly became aware that his hand was still caressing the side of Lance’s face. He shot up from the couch. “Sorry!” He tried desperately to hide his boner under the clump of blankets on top of him. He glanced around and he could see sunlight coming through the front windows. He glanced back to Lance and their burning blushes matched. “Sorry...I didn’t mean...”

Lance laughed to break the ice. “It’s okay. You just probably thought I was Shiro.” Damn, how could Keith forget about Shiro? Was it bad that he had a sex dream about another guy? Lance’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. “It's a common mistake. We _are_ both devilishly handsome.” He grinned. Keith rolled his eyes, but had a small smile on his face.

“Did I sleep here all night?” Keith asked. Lance nodded.

“Yeah, your phone was going off.” He handed Keith his phone and got up to the kitchen to start making coffee. Keith dreaded looking through the texts. There were fifteen of them. All from Shiro. Keith checked through them all by the time Lance came back with two coffee mugs and placed it down on the table. Keith glanced up to Lance and smiled, although he felt terrible. The last time Lance brought him coffee, he wasn’t very nice about it. “You like it black, right?” Lance asked. Keith nodded.

“Yeah, thanks.” He took a timid sip and glanced back to his phone. Shiro was really worried about him. He should answer him back. As Lance turned the T.V. on, Keith sent a quick message to Shiro.

 **Keith** (08:05) : Hey, I’m sorry, I was busy with our project and I kinda fell asleep

 **Keith** (08:05) : But yeah, I’m still here

 **Keith** (08:05) : You can pick me up if you want

Not even a minute passed and Shiro responded.

 **Shiro** (08:05) : Ok. I’ll be there in 10 mins

“Do you need a ride?” Lance asked. “Like an Uber?” Keith smirked at him.

“You kicking me out?”

Lance’s mouth dropped and he placed his coffee on the table. “No...no I just thought-”

Keith laughed. “No, Shiro’s picking me up.”

“Asshole.” Lance smirked and continued flipping through the channels. “Anyway, we got a lot done yesterday. We could skip working on it tonight if you felt like last night was too much one-on-one-”

“-No it’s fine.” Keith interrupted him. Lance glanced over and Keith eased his enthusiasm. “I mean, we gotta get it done.”

“So you can become a fighter pilot again?” Lance leered and Keith’s smiled retracted. Lance sat up straighter noticing Keith’s flat expression. “Hey, I didn’t mean anything by that. That whole situation freshman year with Victor Redding was fucked up. I think it’s awesome you want to be a fighter pilot again.”

Keith tilted his head to the side. “You do?”

“Yeah.” Lance chuckled. “It gives me one more thing to beat your ass in.” And Lance gave him that beautiful smile again. Damn, Keith was falling again. But he had Shiro. He was too close to this goofball again, but he couldn’t help from smiling and laughing with Lance. He couldn’t stop looking in his eyes or the fluttering sensation in his stomach as he responded.

“We’ll see about that.”

Shiro pulled up not long after. Keith had finished his coffee and was placing his shoes on by the door when he glanced up to Lance. He honestly didn’t want to leave. It felt just like that night when they kissed. That burning sensation was returning to Keith’s chest and instead of acting like an asshole and hurling mean words at Lance, he just gave him a soft smile. He wanted to give him a hug, and Lance stepped closer as if he wanted it, too. But Keith didn’t trust himself being that close to him. Lance seemed to have caught on and just saluted. “See ya later tonight, Mullet.”

Keith bit his lip and saluted back. “See ya.”

Shiro didn’t look as pissed as Keith thought he would’ve been. Keith saddled into the SUV and Shiro immediately leaned over and kissed him. It surprised Keith and he blinked a few times when he pulled away. “Hi?” He said and chuckled.

Shiro smirked. “Sorry, hi. I just...I didn’t hear from you at all yesterday after the morning and I was just worried.” Keith put his seatbelt on.

“Worried about what?” Shiro shrugged, turning on the car and pulling out.

“I don’t know. I thought you were mad at me. And then you spent the night at another guy’s house.” Keith laughed.

“You mean Lance?” Keith asked and Shiro gave him a wearied look. The amused smirk vanished from his face. “It's Hunk's apartment too.”

“Was Hunk there last night?”

Keith shrugged. “I don't know...maybe.” Shiro turned his attention back to the road with furrowed brows. Keith scoffed. “You gotta be kidding me. Lance isn't gay. You have nothing to worry about.”

“You didn't think i was...yet here we are, Keith.”

“Are you seriously mad? Is it because I didn't answer you yesterday?”

Shiro sighed and rested his head back as they waited at a red light. “We've been in a weird patch lately, Keith. I'm just...scared.” The light turned green and Shiro started driving again.

“Yeah, you said that before. But Lance isn't someone you should worry about. We're just working on a project together.” Shiro fell silent and Keith gazed out the window. “Besides, shouldn't I feel scared too?”

“Why?”

“This new girl Allura. She doesn't know you're in a relationship. Hell, she doesn't even know you're pansexual. What's stopping her from-”

“She knows I'm unavailable. I made it clear to her. She knows there's _someone.”_

“Someone…” Keith repeated distastefully. He thought about Lance's words last night. How he'd show Keith off if they were dating. But that was just a hypothetical. Keith was sure Lance wouldn't do that if he was actually with another man. If Shiro couldn't tell people he was with him, what made Lance think he would?

“Keith, it's just that you were at Lance's house all day yesterday and I didn't hear from you. That's all. I'm sorry if I overreacted.” Keith nodded and they drove in further silence until Shiro spoke again. “By the way, I won't be able to stay the full time in the gym today.”

Keith’s phone pinged, but he ignored it. “Why not? I need you.  My match is next week.”

“I know,” Shiro pulled the car to a stop outside of the gym. “It's Coran’s niece. We have a meeting today and she needs someone to show her the ropes.” Keith grunted and unbuckled his seatbelt. He wanted to leave as fast as possible, but Shiro caught his arm before he left. “You have nothing to worry about with Allura.”

Pain twisted in Keith's stomach. “How fucked up is it that you can spend countless hours with people who actually like you and it's not a problem, but the moment I hang out with someone other than you for _one_ day, you get pissy about it?”

“Pissy?” Shiro turned off his car and sat up straighter in his seat. “Keith, you know that I'm not holding you back from being with your friends. We've been in a rough patch so yes, naturally, I'll get worried about you not answering me and spending the night at another guy’s house. Especially since this isn't the first time you've ignored me.”

“I wasn't ignoring you! I was fucking asleep!” Keith yelled, but Shiro kept his voice calm.

“I know that now.” Keith’s chest heaved as Shiro continued. “I'll be mindful how and who I spend my time with. Would that make you feel better with the Allura thing?”

Keith shrugged and finally opened the car door. “Do whatever the hell you want.” He climbed out, slammed it shut, but peered down into the window. “Go out with Allura for all I care. I'll still work on my project with Lance. Nothing's changed. We're the same as we ever been, Shiro.”

Keith walked off toward the gym, hoping and wishing his words held value. His phone pinged again and he checked his phone again.

 **Lance** (08:45) : Hey you left your charger

 **Lance** (08:45) : I can bring it to you tonight?

Keith made it to the locker room and started stripping to change into his gym wear.

 **Keith** (08:46) : Yeah, sure

 **Keith** (08:46) : Where at tonight? Maybe the library?

 **Lance** (08:47) : Library? Very cliche but if you insist

 **Keith** (08:48) : Maybe Pidge and Hunk could come too

Lance took a while to respond back. It did seem unlike Keith to invite _more_ people to something. But the truth was, Shiro had everything to worry about with him and Lance. Keith had gotten so upset in the car because he was trying desperately to convince himself that Lance was nothing to him when the truth was: Keith couldn't trust himself alone with him. If his wet dream from last night was anything to go by, he was falling for Lance again. And if he was being completely honest, he was excited to see Lance again which scared the hell out of him. He needed more people in the mix. He needed to distract himself from Lance. Luckily, Lance did reply back.

 **Lance** (08:55) : Yeah, sure. I'll let them know.

Keith sighed relief and shut his locker door. The next two weeks needed to fly by. Fast.

 

…

 

There was a strange shift since that first night Keith and Lance worked on their project. Lance definitely caught on the moment Keith suggested that Hunk and Pidge studied with them.

“He doesn't want to be alone with me.” Lance had whined to Hunk. They were in the lounge in the Garrison building. Hunk was finishing up a paper on his laptop, listening to Lance ramble on and on about Keith. “But that makes no sense.”

“Uh-huh.” Hunk mumbled as he typed away.

“We had a great night together. We hardly argued. It felt like 3 years ago when we first met.”

“Right.” Hunk said and Lance groaned. He sat up from the couch and sat beside Hunk at the table across the way from him. Noticing that Lance was visibly close, Hunk sighed and glanced to his attention-seeking friend. “What?”

“Help me understand. Why doesn't he want to be alone with me?” Hunk shut his laptop down.

“I don't know, Lance. Does he think you and Nyma are still together.” Lance perked up.

“Oh shit. He might not.”

“Well, there you go.” Hunk opened his laptop again and continued typing. Lance knew it had nothing to do with Nyma. But it did spring up another reason why Keith didn't want to be alone with him. It had to be Shiro. It's the only viable reason that Lance could think of. It slightly pissed him off but if it made Keith feel a little better, than he'd oblige.

“Can you and Pidge still come to the library tonight though?” Lance asked and Hunk only nodded and waved him away. He grinned and kissed Hunk's forehead. “You're the best!” He laughed at Hunk's disgusted face and left for his next class.

The days that followed, Lance noticed that Keith started to relax a lot more. Each time they made plans to meet up for their project, Keith always made sure at least someone else was there. It still hurt a little that Keith couldn't bear being alone with him, but the feeling usually passed by the time they got together because Lance loved hanging out with all of his close friends. Having study sessions with Pidge and Hunk proved useful because they helped them with their project a few times.

Lance also noticed Keith laughed a lot more often. And Lance absolutely loved seeing the crinkle of his nose or the way he threw his head as he laughed, although most of the time it was at Lance. He loved to watch Keith work and talk with Pidge about their high school days (Lance learned that Keith knew the entire song I Write Sins Not Tragedies by heart but failed to perform it for him). He liked how Keith and Hunk talked about engineering things together and most if it flew completely over his head because he was just so enamoured by how Keith looked when he talked about something he was passionate about.

Their project was coming along smoothly. Lance had no worries as long as Hunk and Pidge were able to be with them. But the fateful day came, three days before their project was due, and they had to test out their work. Lance reserved the observatory, but it was unfortunately on a day that Pidge and Hunk couldn't make it. Lance tried to move the date around, but Professor Ryu wouldn't budge. He was stuck. Alone. With Keith. At night. At an empty observatory. Thankfully, Keith didn't seem to mind when he told him.

Lance was in the bathroom at his apartment, getting ready to meet Keith. This was the first time they'd be alone since that first day. Nervous was the beginning of describing how Lance was feeling. Lance moisturized his face with his own special serum when Hunk mozied on in and plopped down on the edge of the tub, staring starry-eyed at his friend. Lance raised his eyebrow. “What?”

“So...you and Keith haven't argued in a week and a half. What's up with that?”

Lance shrugged and rubbed anti-wrinkle cream around his eyes. “It's nothing. We just need to work together on this project without killing each other.”

“Right…” Hunk smiled and folded his arms, watching Lance in the mirror. He had a bit of a laugh in his voice when he spoke again. “So...big date tonight.”

Lance spun around to see Hunk's cheap grin. “It's not a date.” He turned back around and started to style his hair. “It's just the observatory.”

Hunk scoffed. “Dude, that's like the most romantic thing I've ever heard.” Lance placed his hair mask down.

“It's just for our project. We're measuring and tracking stars.” Hunk rubbed the stubble growing on his chin.

“And you don't think that's a bit romantic?”

“What do you want from me, Hunk?”

“Just ask him out!” Hunk threw his hands in the air. “God, it's been so annoying watching you two dance around each other all week. Just fucking do it already.”

“I can't.” Lance answered solemnly. He turned back around to look at Hunk's confused face.

“Why the hell not?”

“It's complicated.”

“Lance, you've liked the guy since freshman year. That whole rival crap was just a front and you know it. And no doubt Keith likes you too.” Lance leaned on the sink.

“No he doesn't.”

Hunk rolled his eyes. “You are so blind.”

“He doesn't. He even told me he hated me.”

“Looks like he's blind too.” Hunk mumbled but Lance didn't hear him.

“Besides,” Lance continued, “I couldn't go out with him even if I wanted to.” Hunk's face softened.

“Is it because of your family?” Hunk knew Lance's family was Catholic and no one except his sister knew about his bisexuality. Lance shook his head. “Is it because of Keith's family?” Lance shook his head again.

“No. He doesn't really have a family.”

Hunk shrugged. “Then what the hell is stopping you?” Lance paused. Hunk wasn't going to stop asking until Lance just told him the truth. He sighed.

“Keith is already dating someone, okay? And it's been so hard just watching…” he drifted off, willing himself not to crumple into a sack of emotion. Hunk rubbed the back of his head.

“Oh shit, sorry dude. I had no idea.” Lance nodded in understanding. “Who’s he dating?”

Lance almost answered but shut his mouth. “It's supposed to be a secret. I can't say.”

Hunk's eyes were still widened. “Yeah but I think i know already-”

“-Please Hunk, don't make me say it.” Lance scratched his head. “I want to at least give Keith his privacy.”

Hunk shrugged. “Well if it's such a secret, it must not be that serious. You could totally just go for it.”

“It's a difficult situation, Hunk. Trust me, if it were different I'd be all over him. But i can't. He isn't mine. No matter how much I want him to be.”

Hunk huffed and stood up from the edge of the tub. “Okay, fine. I'll stop teasing you.” He made his way out the bathroom as he spoke. “I never thought I'd say this, but you have integrity, Lance Mcclain.”

Lance shrugged. “I try.”

Hunk hovered by the door with a devilish grin. “Still, I left a present for you on your bed in case your integrity runs out tonight.” He winked before leaving.

His curiosity getting the best of him, Lance put away the rest of his skin care products and hurried to his room to see the gift Hunk left him. His face burned bright red. “Hunk!”

He picked up the small silver square package from his pillow. “Hunk!” He yelled louder only to hear his friend's faint laughter in the other room. “And for your information, I'm an XL.”

“TMI, dude!” Hunk called back and Lance laughed.

 

...

 

In hindsight, Lance should've known that going to the observatory was going to be dark. There was a long road that led up to the huge building and he was afraid to go up by himself.

 **Keith** (21:09) : Just go without me

 **Lance** (21:09) : I can't. I'm scared.

 **Keith** (21:10) : You're such a baby

 **Lance** (21:10) : It's called being conscious, Kogane. What if there's bats?

 **Keith** (21:10) : Just wait for me

Lance pocketed his phone and waited by the gate that fenced off the observatory. He glanced around the darkness and he felt shivers over his body. He hoped there weren't any bats or coyotes or bears. “Damn you, Professor Ryu.”

A few minutes later, Lance spotted a tiny blue light coming toward him from down the road. It grew closer until he could make out a figure behind it, wearing scuffed up Converse sneakers and a black beanie. Also surprisingly, black, thick-rimmed glasses. Lance's mouth dropped and Keith smirked. “Don't say anything.”

Lance stumbled. “About what?”

“Like I'm not wearing the nerdiest glasses. I have to start wearing them-”

“You're fucking hot…” The words slipped out of Lance's mouth, but he couldn't help it. The flashlight from his phone didn't even show all of Keith, but he could easily see in the moonlight how adorable he looked. Lance expected Keith to retaliate to his comment in some way but he only grinned.

“Come on, you idiot.” Lance had already unlocked the gate and it was ajar. So, Keith took Lance by the hand and lead him through. Lance's body felt hot and all common sense left his mind. Keith noticed his flustered state and he thanked the heavens it was dark out because Lance would've saw his blush. Keith stopped walking and glanced back to Lance, still holding his hand. “Aren't you afraid of the dark?”

Lance gulped and nodded under Keith's flashlight. “Yeah.” Keith tightened his hold on Lance's hand and started walking again.

“Then come on.”

Lance let Keith lead him up to the observatory and strangely, he forgot all about his fear of the dark. He forgot about his fear of forest animals coming out to bite them. He was so focused on the hand holding his to be afraid of anything. He wished the walk up had been a lot longer, but they got to the door pretty quickly.

“Looks like some kind of code.” Keith said flashing his light on the door. He let go of Lance's hand and Lance grimaced.

“I got it.” Lance pulled out his phone and put in the code Professor Ryu gave him earlier. As he typed it in, he felt a tug in his throat, knowing Keith was watching him. “I'm sorry Pidge and Hunk couldn't come.” The door beeped and Lance opened it up.

“Why are you sorry?” Keith asked as he followed him inside. Lance turned on the lights and they both immediately saw the huge telescope on the half floor above them. There were metal steps that led up to it. Lance was so awestruck by the place he forgot to answer Keith, but he repeated himself. “Why are you sorry they couldn't come?”

Lance took off his backpack and got out his materials for their project. He shrugged. “I don't know. I know sometimes it's difficult dealing with me. I understand if you don't want to be alone with me.” Lance felt Keith step closer and when he glanced up, he could see in the light just how beautiful Keith was in his glasses.

“Lance...that had nothing to do with you.”

“Was it Shiro?”

Keith backtracked a bit and Lance regretted bringing him up. “No...nothing with Shiro either. I was just trying to be...safe.” Lance nodded as he set up his camera that they configured together for their project.

“I see…”

Keith took out his materials and they set up their equipment in silence. Once they had everything up, they headed toward to the telescope on the half floor above them. Lance turned on the computer to hook up his camera. As he did that, Keith shifted by the railing. “I'm glad we're here.” He said softly,almost as if he didn't want Lance to hear it.

Lance perked his head up. “Really?” Keith nodded and willed himself to stay at least two feet away from Lance at all times. Lance chuckled suddenly. “You're so weird.” Keith folded his arms across his chest and smirked.

“You're the weird one. You eat mayonnaise and ketchup together.” Lance laughed and stood up.

“Hey, you tried it and said it was good.”

“I said it was okay.”

Lance rolled his eyes with a smile. “Whatever. Can you get the lights?” Keith nodded and turned off the switch near the telescope. It immediately went dark and all Lance could see was the sliver of night sky above the telescope. Suddenly he heard a snicker in the darkness. “Why are you laughing?”

“You scared again?” Keith asked teasingly, but there was a hint of concern in his voice. Lance shook his head.

“No, I'm not afraid anymore.”

“G-good.” _Why is he nervous?_ Lance thought to himself, but he found his answer when Keith stepped closer in the tiny bit of moonlight pouring into the observatory. “What's first?”

“Yeesh. So ready to dive into work.” Lance joked, but Keith answered him seriously.

“Well yeah. It's what we're here for.”

Lance used his phone as a flashlight now as he took out a paper with algorithms on it. “You must be fun at parties.

Keith shrugged. “I've never been to one.” Lance paused and stood up straighter.

“Dude, you're a junior in college. You've never been to a single party?” Lance asked and Keith shook his head. “Not even shitty middle school dances?”

“It was never really my scene.”

Lance smirked. “It was definitely mine.” Keith laughed.

“I can imagine.”

Lance searched for Spotify on his phone. “Seriously. I was like the king of middle school dances. Wanna hear what my favorite song was?”

“I really don't-”

“-Too late!” Lance found the song he was looking for and skipped to the chorus. He started singing just for Keith. “ _And I was like Baby, Baby, Baby, Oooh!”_

Keith howled in laughter as Lance sang and danced around him. “You were a Beiber fan?”

Lance paused his singing for a second. “Were?” At that, Keith laughed harder.

“God, your music taste is terrible.” Lance spun around as he rapped Ludicrous’ part.

“Please, like your emo crap was any better.” Lance stood directly in front of Keith with a smug smirk. Keith subtly took a step back. “Everyone loved JB at that time.”

“JB? I think I just threw up a little bit.” Keith chuckled as the song ended and another song transitioned on the phone. It was from one of Justin Beiber’s newer albums. Lance held out his hand and Keith just stared up at him. “What?”

“It's a slow song. This is where awkward 13-year-old Lance would ask a pretty girl to dance.” Keith uncrossed his arms, his face turning red.

“I'm not a pretty girl, Lance.”

Lance stepped closer and Keith couldn't step back without falling off the edge. “Even better, a beautiful boy then.”

Keith's blush reached his ears by this point. “Lance…” Lance was directly in front of him, instinctively holding Keith's waist, but Keith didn't fight him off.

“Come on…” Lance said softly. “Let me be your first dance.” Lance didn't know what he was getting into. In his mind, he felt like Keith hated him. He knew he was with Shiro. He knew Keith wasn't his, but the way Keith gave in, wrapping his arms around his neck, it felt so right. They swayed together to the music silently until Keith whispered just below his ear.

“You're a charmer, you know that?” Lance smirked.

“Only when I see something I really want.” He held Keith closer to his chest and thankfully Keith held on tighter, too, burying his face in the crook of his neck. And damn, Lance smelled so good. Keith felt himself slipping. It was like they picked up straight from three years ago, but this time the tension was unbearable. Keith didn't ever want to let Lance go. He didn't even care that they were dancing to a Justin Beiber song. Just as long as he could hold onto Lance. Keith was even as bold as to slide his hands from draped around Lance's neck up to his dark brown curls. Lance closed his eyes as Keith massaged him. A soft moan escaped his mouth and Lance lowered his hands from Keith's waist to his hips.

Soon, the song was coming to a sombering end and they stayed glued together. Keith's hands in Lance's hair, Lance's hands stationed at Keith's hips. Lance finally opened his eyes and a small smile broke out on his face. Then he chuckled.

Keith grimaced and his hands fell from Lance's hair. He had a feeling Lance was only messing with him. “What's so funny?” Lance stopped laughing, but a grin still on his face, and held Keith closer.

“It's just...this is when I'd hold you like this…” he tilted Keith's chin up. “and lift your chin and…” he leaned in closer. Keith's heart pounded, but he didn't want to turn away. Just like three years ago when Keith didn't want Lance to leave, when he yearned for one more kiss, he felt the same desire burning inside him. Keith leaned in, too, and closed his eyes.

Damn, Lance wanted to kiss him so bad. He had every intention to, but suddenly the song changed to an upbeat one and Lance stalled. His senses came back. Shiro was Keith's boyfriend, not him. He couldn't go through with it.  

Keith opened his eyes and Lance was still as before, lips slightly poked out, but he had an unsure look in his eye. Keith's heart broke a little. He didn't know what hurt more. The fact that Lance didn't kiss him or the fact that Keith was going to. He chuckled sadly and pulled away from Lance and he let him go. “Yeah...as if I'm someone you'd want to do that with.” He went over to the telescope and started testing their project, hiding his watery eyes.

Lance stayed frozen in his place. “Keith…”

“No, it's fine. Let's just get started.”

Lance turned around to face him. “Keith, there's something I have to tell you.”

The sound of Keith's phone going off disrupted the very still and fragile atmosphere. Keith reluctantly answered.

“Yeah?” Lance tried to not listen to his conversation and started mapping out the stars they were going to be measuring. “No, I told you I was. You were probably too busy with...I'm not a fucking child, Shiro. No, I'll be fine.” Keith sighed. “I can't just leave...Fine. If it makes you feel better.” Keith held the phone away from his face. “Lance?”

“Yeah?”

“I'm sorry to do this...but I have to go.” Lance's eyes widened. “I'm sorry. It's just that my big match is tomorrow and Shiro wants me to get some rest.” Lance forgot all about his boxing match. He should've thought about that when he signed up to use the observatory. “I'll do my end before I leave though. All you have to do is record what you find in the telescope.”

Lance nodded. “Yeah, sure.” Keith relayed his plan to Shiro in the phone before hanging up. Keith then packed up his things in silence. Lance stole glances at him, afraid to speak until he finally did. “I'm sorry.” He muttered. Keith glanced up and even behind his glasses, Lance could see the glossy look in his eyes. “I can't…” He trailed off.

“It's fine.” Keith packed the last of his things. “I get it. You're with Nyma. She's great for you.”

Lance furrowed his brows. “No, it has nothing to do-”

“I'll email you my part of the paper.” Keith hurried to the steps and lowered himself down. Lance watched him dumbfounded as Keith turned on his flashlight and disappeared out the door and into the darkness.

 

...

 

After a long night that probably would've gone a lot faster if Keith had stayed, Lance was exhausted. He didn't blame Keith for high-tailing it out of there. Lance was bold enough to make a move. What the hell was that? What happened to Integrity Lance? Integrity Lance would never make a move on someone who had a boyfriend. But it just felt so right. And the fact that Keith didn't turn him away, just added fuel to the fire. But still...Lance had to be the bigger person. No matter how hard it was for him to cut it off.

Lance was in one of Altea’s coffee shops, briefly going over notes for a test he had later that day. His project with Keith was nearly done so he had more time to concentrate on his other classes. His phone pinged, pulling his attention from the mountain of notes on the table.

 **Nyma** (11:14) : Hey we still on for tonight?

Lance raised his eyebrow.

 **Lance** (11:15) : What's tonight?

 **Nyma** (11:16) : Keith's boxing match. Did you still want to go?

 **Nyma** (11:16) : We bought tickets together remember?

Lance completely forgot. Before they broke up, Nyma encouraged Lance to go to Keith's match and even volunteered to get the tickets. _Wow, she really knew about Keith for a while then._

 **Lance** (11:20) : Sorry...um sure. I'll meet you then.

Lance wasn't even sure if Keith wanted to see him after last night. He had to be more careful in the future. No more flirting. No more spontaneous dancing. Lance knew he crossed a line last night and if Keith avoided him because of it, he deserved it.

Tonight, Lance would just support Keith from afar. He'd only get close if Keith asked. But that plan derailed when he felt a shadow above him. He paused from taking a sip of his coffee and glanced up, nearly spitting out his drink.

“Sh-Shiro?” Even though in his mind, he did nothing wrong, he still felt guilty sitting before the immaculate student. Shiro smiled at him and extended his hand.

“Hi Lance.” Lance shook his hand. “I've been looking for you. You mind?” Shiro gestured to the empty seat beside him and Lance shook his head. “Thanks.” Shiro sat next to him and his stomach turned to mush.

“How can I help you?” Lance could count on one hand how many times Shiro had actually talked to him, much less actually sought him out. Sitting under his watchful gaze, Lance felt like he was in trouble.

Shiro folded his hands and shrugged. “I just wanted to know how things were with you?” Lance shifted in his seat.

“You do? I mean...this doesn't have anything to do with…” he glanced around the coffee shop to make sure no one was listening. “Keith?”

Shiro’s face turned red. He lowered his voice although there was no one else at the back of the shop with them. “You know about that?” Lance nodded. “Did Keith tell you?”

“No.” Lance expressed emphatically. “No, I guessed it a year ago when you first started going out.” Lance could tell Shiro felt uneasy about someone knowing his secret.

“And you kept that to yourself for an entire year?” Lance nodded his head again.

“Trust me, it was hard to keep this baby sealed.” He jokingly pointed to his mouth, but Shiro didn't laugh. Lance cleared his throat. “But no, I never told anyone. Keith would never forgive me.” Shiro flicked his eyes up at that.

“You really care about him, don't you?” Shiro’s words were hard to decipher. It didn't sound threatening completely, but it didn't sound inviting either. Overall, it sounded concerned, but what could Shiro possibly gain from Lance's answer. He tried to tread lightly.

“I guess I do.” Shiro’s gaze lowered and he looked almost sad. “But,” Lance offered, “Our project is done at the end of this week. After that, I'm sure Keith and I will go back to our old bickering and fighty ways.” Shiro nodded in thought.

“Keith is going to do what he wants. I can't control what he does.” Shiro whispered. Lance furrowed his brows.

“Why the hell would you want to control him? All you can do is control your actions to make him happy.”

Shiro raised his eyebrow hopefully. “You know what will make him happy?”

“Yeah...stop hiding him. He deserves to be so much more than someone's hidden secret.”

Shiro sighed and rubbed his face. “It's hard.” It was weird seeing Shiro so human. This was the most emotional Lance had ever seen him. Keith always had Lance to talk about his secret relationship, but it never dawned on him that Shiro had absolutely no one to talk to about it for an entire year. “Coming out isn't easy.”

“It never is.” Lance felt at liberty to drink his coffee in a poised way. He felt like a therapist; the way he sipped his coffee and the way Shiro relaxed in his chair. “I'd do it if I had the proper motivation. Once you do it, I'll support you guys.” Lance chuckled at his own phrasing. Shiro smirked then eyed Lance up and down. Thoughts swam in his head and Lance could tell. “What?”

“I just need to know...so I'm not going crazy.” Lance nodded for him to continue. “Do...do you like Keith?”

Lance was mid-sip when Shiro finally asked him. He coughed out cold coffee and immediately regained his composure. “What?” He yelled.

Shiro was unmoved by his theatrics. “Do you?” He asked sternly.

Lance wiped his wet mouth with a napkin. “Shiro...I...it was so long ago.” Shiro’s eyes widened.

“What was?”

“When Keith and I kissed.”

“You kissed?” His voice carried a little louder than he hoped. Lance immediately regretted saying that. He tried to salvage as much as he could but it was pointless. Shiro was already wrapped up in the image of Keith and Lance kissing.

“Yeah, but it was freshman year. Before you two got together. It was a fluke. It didn't mean anything.” Shiro stood from the table.

“Lance, I'd appreciate it if you were only classmates with Keith and nothing more.” Lance set his coffee down.

“Now, hold on one gotdamn minute. What happened to Keith making his own decisions? You can't control him-”

“-I'm not!” Shiro simmered back his anger. “I'm not. I'm just saying I'd _appreciate_ it that when your project is over, you'll leave him alone.” Lance narrowed his eyes at Shiro.

“Fine. Whatever the hell makes Shiro happy. Fuck Keith's feelings, right?” Lance crossed his arms and with nothing else left to say, Shiro saw that as his opportunity to leave. Once Shiro exited the cafe, Lance picked up his phone. He had to tell Keith what he wanted to say last night. There was no telling what Shiro was going to do. It was now or never.

He carefully crafted his message, read it over to check for typos then pressed send. Now, all he had to do was wait for a reply.

 

...

 

Keith left Lance on _read._ He knew Keith got the message, but still he didn't receive a single text back. Even if Keith responded with a thumbs up would've been better than being left on _read._ Lance sat nervously in his seat, waiting for the match to start. He came ridiculously early in hopes of maybe seeing Keith before the match, he even thought about going behind the closed off section that led to the locker room to see him, but he quickly thought against it when he spotted Shiro in the mix of people.

So Lance sat glued to his chair, hopelessly staring at his phone for a reply. A pair of manicured nails wrapped over his eyes suddenly. “Guess who?” Nyma sang. Lance smiled and moved her hands from his eyes.

“You're the only girl I know that still gets french-tipped nails.” Nyma pouted.

“It's timeless. Like a black cocktail dress.” Lance laughed.

“Sure.” Nyma nudged him.

“You're mean, you know that? After I came all this way off campus to support your new boyfriend. Not many ex-girlfriends would do that, you know?”

Lance held her apologetically in a side hug. “I'm sorry...but no he's not my boyfriend.”

Nyma raised her eyebrow. “Why not? You told him how you felt didn't you?”

“I did! He didn't messaged me back. He left me on _read.”_ Nyma widened her eyes.

“You did not!” She smacked him with her purse.

“Ow! What the hell, Nyma?”

“You _messaged_ him about your feelings? No wonder he left your ass on _read._ You don't text something important like that.” Nyma sighed and rolled her eyes. “That must be the straight man in you.”

Lance shrugged. “Okay, well what do I do?”

Nyma gazed at him softly, reaching up to caress his face before smacking it lightly. “You talk to him like a grown-up you adorable idiot.”

Lance smiled into her hand and kissed her palm. “Where would I be without you?”

“Single.” Nyma laughed. “You would be single.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song Keith and Lance danced to was Change Me by Justin Beiber. It's not my favorite song, but it seemed like it fit the mood.


	6. I'll Be Your Secret

Keith kept going back to his phone, wanting to reply then walking away again. He placed it in his locker to get it out of sight, but knowing that Lance's message was still there, he couldn't stop thinking about it. He had already changed into his red and gold silky shirts Shiro got for him. He was supposed to be concentrating on his match. Prepping his mind, doing stretches, instead of fretting over his phone.

Keith took his phone back out and read over the message again for the hundredth time just to make sure he wasn't misreading it.

 **Lance** (11:31) : I never had the chance to tell you last night, but I need to say it now. I'm in love with you, Keith.

It almost infuriated Keith. Why the hell would Lance send that? Today out of all days. And didn't he know Keith was with Shiro? Of course, he knew. But why would he send it anyway? And the most important question still stood. _What the hell do I say to that?!_

The sound of the locker room opening up caused Keith to turn off his phone and throw it into the locker. Shiro rounded the corner with a water bottle and Keith's special towel draped over his shoulders. Shiro handed both items to him. “Thanks.”

“On a scale from 1 to 10, how are you feeling?” Shiro asked. To be honest, Keith felt like somewhere in the lower numbers, but he answered although hesitantly.

“An 8.” Shiro caught onto his nervousness and walked behind him. He settled Keith on the bench and began kneading his shoulder muscles.

“I need you at a 10. If your head isn't here-”

“-It's here.” Keith snapped. Shiro eased up his massage and brought his mouth to the nape of his neck and gave it a light kiss.

“I'm sorry,” He whispered. “I'm here for you, Keith.” Keith sighed and the guilt washed over him. He couldn't bear to look Shiro in the eye anymore, not after his wet dream about Lance, not after wanting to kiss Lance, and especially not after that message Lance sent him. He was confused as hell and having Shiro kiss him to make relax didn't help him one bit. He squirmed from Shiro’s embrace and stood up.

“Thanks. I'm fine. Really.” Shiro stared at him for a second before standing up straighter. He nodded and left to leave him alone when Keith spoke again. “I'm sorry I'm being such an ass. I'm just nervous.”

Shiro smirked and rested a hand on his shoulder. “You'll do great. Kick his ass. I'll be out there, right by your side.”

As soon as Shiro left, Keith placed his hair high in a bun. The clock on the wall showed that he only had five minutes before the announcer would call him out. Keith went back to his phone, feeling like his heart was in his throat. He sighed and typed out four words, but even in doing that he felt like his fingers were made out of cement. How could he reply that to Lance. Especially with everything Shiro had done for him. He couldn't possibly hurt like that. He couldn't tell Lance how he felt. He erased the four words and turned off his phone. He put in his mouth guard, placed in his helmet, then gloves. He was ready.

 

...

 

“...all the way from Orange, California, Keith Kogane!” That was his cue. Keith emerged from the double doors into a crowd of smoke. He heard cheers and saw lights flashing. The place was loud and he immediately knew that this was the most packed the arena had ever been. Shiro being his coach had its advantages. People mostly came to see him, people even asked Shiro to be their coach, but Shiro always declined saying Keith was his one and only boxer. The guilt swashed around in Keith's stomach. Shiro was faithful to him, how can he have these feelings for someone else? Why was it so hard to be faithful back to the most amazing man he'd ever have?

Keith reached the ring and his opponent was already there. First thing he noticed was his height. The man was large with long hair pulled back into a braid. All Shiro told Keith about him was that his name was Anton Kolivan. He was 24 years old and had been boxing for only two years, roughly twice as long Keith had been. Shiro thought it would be a fair match of experience. _But what the hell, Shiro? Look at this guy!_ Keith glanced back to his coach who only gave him a thumbs up.

The referee called Keith forward to shake hands. Close up, he could see scars on Anton’s face. Fear pulled in his stomach. “What the fuck…” he whispered to himself as they bumped their gloves together. Keith then went back to his corner of the ring to hear a quick run down pep talk from Shiro as Anton did the same to his coach.

Soon, the bell dinged and Keith was off toward the center of the ring. He was light on his toes, guarding his face as Anton swung for his first hit. Keith blocked it and countered with a hook, successfully landing on the side if his face. Anton broke apart to guard himself while throwing in a couple quick jabs. One of the hits landed on Keith's side. He cursed under his breath but kept blocking, waiting for an opening. As soon as Anton left his side wide open, Keith darted in with a hook backed up by a violent force. Anton stumbled back, retiring to his corner and holding his side.

The referee waved his hand and Keith went back to Shiro. “You're doing great. Keep looking for his open spots. He's good at attacking, but he leaves himself wide open.” Keith spit out his guard.

“Yeah i know.” Keith said, but noticed he sounded crabby again. He cleared his throat. “But thanks.”Shiro supplied him with water before sending him back out. When he did, he noticed a beautiful brown skinned girl sitting in the front row. She had thick, white hair bluntly cut at her shoulders. She looked like a princess. And he immediately knew it was Allura. _He brought her here?_ Boxing was supposed to be just their thing, but now he felt like it was compromised somehow.

Keith was so preoccupied with his thoughts that Anton landed a fresh, clean hit to his face. Keith fell backward, but caught his footing, automatically guarding his face again. He could hear Shiro’s cries for him to “get his head together and block” from behind him. Keith did just that, but now he had a little anger to fuel him. It put some bounce into his step as he ducked Anton’s hits and threw quick jabs from underneath him.

Keith's teeth grinded against his guard. That hopeless feeling that felt all too familiar from high school came rushing to him. He had secret relationships before. Popular jocks from his school always wanted to taste him when they already had beautiful princess-like girlfriends like Allura as their main. Keith was always the dirty unwanted secret, treated like garbage in public as the gay, emo boy. But it was those same bullies that would text him, wanting to fuck him for a night. Keith obliged, knowing they wouldn't dare tell anyone since it would mare their reputation too. But Keith always left feeling so empty.

He knew Shiro wasn't like that. He wasn't using him, at least he didn't think. They had an actual relationship, but seeing him with Allura and damn, she _was_ beautiful. She and Shiro looked so good together. He could never give Shiro that. He could never give Lance that.

Lance told him that he loved him, but he had no idea what he was saying. He was just like those insecure straight boys from high school. As soon as Lance realizes he _isn't_ gay, he'll leave Keith for Nyma.

Another cringey thought crossed his mind. _What makes Shiro so different?_

He didn't have a chance to explore that because an intense pain rocked him in the nose and Keith saw stars, falling back to the mat. He dazed for a few seconds, but he could still hear the referee counting beside him.

“...6...7…” _Oh shit._ He couldn't get to ten. Keith stumbled to his feet again, but the hit was so powerful, he fell back again. He struggled to just sit up, then they could recess, but for the life of him, he couldn't. “...8...9...10!” The referee yelled and the bell dinged three times.

Keith closed his eyes and felt hands pulling him. Strong hands. He pried his eye open to see Shiro pulling him off the ring as he heard the referee announce Anton as the winner. “Keith, are you okay?” Shiro dabbed the blood coming from his nose. He finally sat up and took the rag from Shiro, tilting his head back. They were sitting on the first row by the ring while the crowd circled around the victor, Anton.

He knew he blew it. Keith couldn't look Shiro in the face. “I'm sorry.” He garbled. Shiro caressed his arm.

“What happened? You started out so well.” Keith removed Shiro's hand from him.

“I was never at an 8. I've been at like a 3 for a while.” Shiro watched him with sorrowful eyes. “I couldn't keep up anymore.” Shiro was about to speak but Allura showed up, standing a little too close to Shiro to be considered platonic.

“Hello, Keith. I'm Allura.” She reached out her hand and he begrudgingly shook it. “I'm so sorry about your match.” Keith wiped the remainder of blood from his face and sniffed.

“Yeah, me too.”

“Keith?” That voice sent chills down his spine. He turned back and saw Lance hurrying to his side with Nyma close behind him. Lance stilled a ways back, afraid to get too close. Lance glanced at Shiro then to Keith and fumbled his fingers. “I just wanted to see of you were okay.”

Seeing the four of them stare hopelessly like that at him made his blood boil. Nyma pressed behind Lance and Keith tightened his grip on his rag. “I'm fine.” He said through clenched teeth. “Will everyone just leave me the hell alone?” He stood up and brushed by Shiro, making his exit as brief as possible through the double doors to the locker room.

 

…

 

Lance watched Keith run off, half-expecting Shiro to run after him but then again, why would he? That would give away that Shiro actually fucking cares about Keith.

“Do you want to get going? We have that leaders coalition thing to prepare for tomorrow.” Allura asked, hooking onto Shiro's arm. Lance's eyes widened when he didn't brush her off. Shiro stared off in the direction Keith went and grimaced.

“Yeah…” he breathed. “Let's go.”

Lance knitted his brows as Shiro led Allura away in the opposite direction. “What an ass.” He muttered.

“Lance.” Nyma said and nudged him. “Now's your chance. He needs someone right now.” Lance patted her arm before jogging off in the direction Keith went.

He entered the double doors to the locker room. “Keith?” He searched lockers row by row until he reached the very end. There was no sign of him. “Keith?” He called a little louder. He walked back up to the front where he noticed another set of double doors. He heard faint grunts and he peered through the tiny rectangular plexiglass window to see Keith in the gym, repeatedly hitting a punching bag. Against his natural inclination to hide, Lance pushed on the door and entered. “Keith?”

Keith was a panting mess and gazed up at him. His chest heaved and Lance could finally see his muscles glistening with sweat. He shook his head. That wasn't what he was there for. “What do you want, Lance?” Keith's voice cracked and Lance's heart broke a little. He could see his puffy red eyes from across the room.

“I wanted to check on you.” Lance stepped further into the gym. Keith huffed over then leaned against the wall.

“Why? Cause I lost? Scratch that, because I got knocked out not even two rounds into the match?” Keith ripped his gloves off and tossed them to the floor.

“No...you were doing well at first. Then you seemed distracted.” Lance stopped walking toward him and hovered by the punching bag. He could see up close the tear stains on Keith’s cheeks. Then Keith chuckled.

“I _was_ distracted.” He admitted. “How can you send me a message like that?” Lance nodded knowingly.

“So you got it?”

“Of course I got it. What do you expect me to say?” Lance opened his mouth to speak but Keith continued. “You fucking ruined everything…” His eyes watered. “I was fine without you, Lance...why do you have to…” He trailed off and faced away from him.

“You don't feel the same way?” Lance asked, boldly taking a step forward, but Keith spun around.

“No! Lance. I don't. I told you before that I hate you!” Keith yelled, although a tear escaped from his eye.

Lance spoke calmly. “You don't hate me, Keith.”

“I do.” Keith responded quickly and his denseness frustrated Lance. “I hate you. You're such an-” Lance balled his fist.

“-What? An asshole? Dumb ass? Stupid ass? Idiot? Yeah, I know, Keith. What else you got?” Keith wiped his face dry with the back of his hand.

“Lance, stop.” He crowed brokenly, but Lance just shook his head. He was indignant.

“No, I won't. Not until you tell me the truth. What do you feel?” He stepped closer until he had Keith cornered into the wall. Keith kept his attention on the floor, away from his gaze.

“I don't feel anything.”

“You don't feel anything for me?” Lance asked in a breathy tone. Keith's eyes shuttered close.

“I don't love you. I love Shiro.” Lance laughed and stepped back.

“Shiro?” He asked with a raised eyebrow. “You mean the guy who's too busy with the hot transfer instead of being here comforting his boyfriend?” Lance's face turned serious as he continued. “You mean the guy who would rather show off this beautiful woman rather than his gorgeous boyfriend who he's been hiding for an _entire year?”_

That broke Keith. His tears turned into wet anger and he tackled Lance to the ground. “Shut the hell up!” He cried through teary vision. “You don't know what you're talking about.” He had Lance pinned by his wrists to the floor. Lance grunted and flipped Keith over, successfully straddling him and holding his arms to his side.

“You know I'm right.” Lance hovered above Keith, his face dangerously close to Keith's. Tears welled up in Keith's violet eyes again as he shook his head.

“You're not.” He whispered.

Lance leaned in closer to him, he unlocked one of Keith's arms so he could wipe the tear away from his face. He stared into his eyes, holding his face. “I know you love me back, Keith.”

Keith glanced down to Lance’s lips then back to his blue eyes. “I hate you…” he said softly. They stood fashioned in that position, fixated on each other's eyes. It settled within Keith that he may never have Lance again. He may never be as close to him as he is now. He had to chase it somehow, even if it was only for a moment.

Smoothly, Keith maneuvered his legs from underneath Lance so that he could wrap them around his waist. Lance glanced down when he noticed their hips connecting. He worriedly looked back up to Keith who gave him a half-lidded look, biting his lip. Lance felt the fabric in his underwear tighten. It got worse when Keith shimmied down a little more so that their growing erections rubbed against each other.

Lance's legs felt weak and he let out a soft moan. His eyes never left Keith. “So...you hate me?” Lance lowered himself and grinded against Keith. His bulge deposited into the warmth between Keith's legs. Keith tilted his head back and clutched on Lance's arm.

“Yeah…” he groaned. That motivated Lance to do it again. He pushed against Keith and Keith closed his eyes. “Fuck…”

“Why…” Lance took a deep breath as he humped him again. “Why do you hate me?” Lance rubbed against him again, but this time he took much longer.

 _“Ahh…_ ” Keith pressed into Lance. “I just...I just do...ahh fuck.” He suddenly pushed Lance into his back and straddled on top of him. Lance couldn't begin to describe the feeling of Keith sitting on his lap. Keith rubbed his ass back and forth and Lance closed his eyes to will himself to not just fuck Keith here and now. But he knew he couldn't. He had no idea what he was doing, he just knew he needed Keith to keep bouncing on his lap the way he was. Then Keith said his name. _“Lance…”_

Lance took control of Keith's hips and bounced him in his lap. Keith couldn't hold back anymore. He leaned over Lance's body and start sucking on his neck. Lance's eyes rolled back as he continued fondling Keith's ass, pushing him into his lap.

And all the while, Lance kept thinking to himself, he wouldn't be able to hold back much longer. What they were doing was wrong, but Keith was licking his jaw in the _best_ way. He didn't want him to stop. Keith inched closer and closer to Lance's mouth. _Damn, if he kisses me, it's all over._

Keith didn't even get a chance to kiss him because soon Lance was attacking his mouth, it was ravenous. Lance sat up and pulled Keith closer onto his lap, bouncing him faster. Keith broke their kiss and held onto Lance's shoulders as he thrusted up and down on his lap. “Fuck...Lance…” They didn't know what the end goal was, but it proved too much for Keith. He reached between his legs and his shorts were already wet. Lance kept bouncing him faster and faster when Keith broke. “Damn it, Lance… I can't.” Keith stilled and hurriedly unbuckled Lance's belt. The feeling of Keith's hands on his hardened crotch sent a queasy feeling to his stomach.

Keith almost pulled it out, but Shiro's face flashed in Lance's mind. “Dammit!” He yelled to the ceiling, scaring Keith. He looked up at him confused. Lance held Keith's hand away from his hard-on. He bit his lip. He definitely didn't want to do this, but he knew it had to be done. “Keith...we can't.” Keith was confused, but still wasn't getting off of Lance. “I don't want to make you a cheater.” Keith sighed as Lance slid him off his lap. His erection was still prominent so he repeated to himself. “Think of Abuela. Saggy old abuela, fresh out the tub.” He shuddered at the memory of walking in on his grandmother one time. He couldn't masturbate for an entire month. So he used that as a trick now whenever he got a boner at the wrong place and wrong time.

Once he stood up, he zipped up his pants. He glanced back to Keith on the floor still, staring up at him with furrowed brows. “Dammit Lance why not?” He asked simply. “I thought…” Keith stood up. “It could be a secret.” He offered. “I'll be your secret.”

“What the hell, Keith?” Lance asked him wide-eyed. “I don't want you as a secret. I want _you. All_ of you.”

Keith laughed and shook his head. “You do not.”

“Of course I do.”

“No, Lance. You don't. You don't want me. You don't love me. You want me as a secret just to fulfill some straight fuckboy fantasy.”

“Seriously, Keith? What the hell? You really think that's what it is? You think I just want to fuck you and move on?”

“I know that's what it is.” Lance scoffed to the ceiling then turned back to Keith. He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

“Okay, I don't think I've made this clear…” he slapped his hands together and sighed. “ _I want you, Keith Kogane!_ All of you! Not just your dick. Not just your body. Not hiding you as a fucking secret. But you. Just you! But you're so fucking damaged from Shiro that you're not even listening to me!”

Keith crossed his arms and spoke quietly. “But I know you're lying. You're not gay and you don't want me… no one wants me.” Lance's eyes bulged.

“For the love...so I'm no one? And who said I wasn't gay? I was just seconds away from fucking you on this floor until common sense hit me.”

“Yeah, you see? Common sense.”

Lance sighed. “Common sense as in you're not mine, asshole. You're still dating Shiro. I don't want to make you a cheater.”

Keith furrowed his brows. “Like you still don't sleep around with Nyma with your on again off again bullshit. I won't throw away what I have with Shiro just so you can leave me when you realize you're not gay."

Lance threw his hands in the air. “ _For the love!_ You have got to be the most dense idiotic person I've ever met. Why won't you listen to me?” Lance took a deep breath. “You know what? I'm done.” He moved toward the double doors.

“Done with what?” Keith asked.

Lance gestured around him. “This. All of this. You think I'm fucking lying to you when I've been the only honest person to you. So I'm just going to be the _straight fuckboy_ I am and just move on.” Keith wanted to cling onto him for as long as he could. How did it all go to shit? They were just making out and dry humping on the floor a minute ago. Why couldn't they just go back to that? Lance paused before he exited the doors. “Just so you know, I ended it with Nyma for good a week and a half ago.” He slammed the door behind him after that.

Keith glanced around the empty gym, picking up his gloves from the floor. He turned out the lights in the gym then headed to the locker room to change out off his soiled boxing shorts. He did it all in silence until he huffed out loud. “What the hell is wrong with me?”

 

…

 

Keith had another dream about Lance. It wasn't a sex dream like the last one. This one was angrier. Sadder. He and Lance were arguing and it left him feeling like a muddled mess of rain clouds and darkness. Keith blinked his eyes open. It was possible he was just reliving the events that happened last night.

Keith sighed and rolled on his side. His phone rang as if in cue and he answered it. It was Shiro.

“Hey.”

“Hey, good morning. How are you feeling?”

Keith draped an arm over his eyes. “Like crap.”

“I was trying to get a hold of you last night. I wanted to come over.”

Keith sat up on his bed and yawned. “Sorry. I was ignoring my phone.”

“The loss wasn't that bad.” Shiro reassured. But Keith didn't give a damn about losing the match (although it was still slightly embarrassing). He cared more about losing Lance.

“We'll get you training and set up another match in no time.”

Keith sighed. “I need a break Shiro.”

“Oh...yeah definitely. Just...don't stay down for too long.” There was a slight pause then Shiro spoke again. “Date night tonight?”

Keith and Lance had plans to put the final touches on their project tonight. He wasn't so sure if Lance still wanted to do that. “I have plans. What about tomorrow?”

Shiro took a deep breath. “I have something with Allura.” Keith nodded as he shuffled to the bathroom.

“Of course.”

“Keith…”

“It's fine. We'll figure something out. I gotta go. I have class soon.”

“Do you want a ride?”

“No,” he said pretty quickly. “I'll walk. I need the fresh air.”

“Okay...I love you.”

Keith hesitated. He thought about what he did last night with Lance. Both times when they got too close, Lance had always been the one to shut it down. If he hadn't, Keith would've been the most horrible boyfriend in the world. Although he did still feel like he was, because he actually _wanted_ to do those things with Lance. He loved Shiro no doubt, but it was hard to say it with so much guilt on his tongue. The same tongue that was licking Lance shamelessly last night. Keith had to tell Shiro he loved him back. He deserved that much. “I love you, too.”

 

...

 

Before his class, Keith had to stop for coffee. He ordered and waited in line, mindlessly scrolling through his phone when he felt someone purposely bump his hip. He looked up ready to fight when he saw Nyma grinning at him holding a foam coffee cup. “You're a coffee fanatic too?” She chuckled.

Keith nodded. “Keef?” The barista called and landed his coffee on the counter. Keith groaned and took his cup.

“Keef?” Nyma asked behind a smile. Keith shook his head.

“They always butcher it. You'd think it'd be an easy enough name.” They walked away so Keith could pour sugar in his all black coffee. He wanted to ask Nyma what she wanted but she talked before he could.

“So…”

Keith raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?” He took a sip of his coffee to make sure it was sweet enough.

“Did Lance make a move yet?” Keith nearly choked on his coffee. _How the hell does she know?_

To play it off, Keith cleared his throat. “Why would he? He's not gay.” Nyma laughed so loud that the people sitting near them looked over.

“Please...yeah right.” Keith's eyes widened. He glanced around to make sure no one was listening to their conversation.

“But...you two dated. Multiple times.” Nyma grimaced and shrugged.

“Yeah… we did.” She took a sip of her coffee. “The reason why I love Lance so much is because he's always so open and honest. He always said what was on his mind. I mean, yeah we were toxic together as a couple but we’re great friends.”

“So, Lance likes men?”

“Oh yeah, definitely. I've always known. Since freshman year.” Keith still looked confused so she further explained. “Oh, he likes girls, too. He's bisexual.” Keith nodded, understanding now. That made a lot of sense now that he thought about it.

“And that didn't bother you?”

Nyma shook her head simply. “No...it didn't become a problem until a week and a half ago when he broke up with me.” A small smile crept over his face. They walked toward the door.

“Yeah but don't you guys do that all the time?”

“This time was different. Someone had his heart.” She opened the door for Keith and when he walked through, she just stared at him. “It was you.” Keith's face burned red.

“Yeah, right.”

“No,” she said seriously. “He _told_ me it was you. He didn't mince words either.” She massaged her chest as if whatever words Lance said to her still physically pained her heart.

“He told you he liked me?” Nyma shook her head.

“No. He told me he was in love with you.” Keith's eyes widened. “It's always been you, Keith.”

Keith felt guilty for secretly hating her all these years. She was actually pretty nice. He glanced at her. “How do you not hate me?”

Nyma sighed in thought. “Lance and I were kinda like constellation prizes for each other. We both couldn't be with the people we loved, so we forced ourselves to work out. I mean...it didn't work cause we broke up constantly. Lance can be really irritating.” Keith laughed in agreement. “But he's also a hopeless romantic. He never stopped loving you.” Keith stared wide-eyed at his coffee as Nyma chuckled. “How's that for a morning pick-me-up.” She clinked their foam coffee cups together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't know a single thing about boxing. What you just read was a result of google and youtube lol if i messed something up just let me know pwwease!


	7. The Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is more showy with the smut and I'm not great writing it so please bear with me. But again if it's not your cup of tea, skip around the asterisks ;*

“Wake the hell up!” Pidge screamed in Lance's face. He groaned and pushed her off his bed. He turned to the other side and continued sleeping. Pidge hopped off the floor and nudged him. “Come on, lazy bones!”

“Pidge!” Lance muffled in his pillow. “Leave me alone…” Hunk appeared at his doorway and folded his arms. Pidge struggled to turn him over. She looked up to Hunk under her thick bangs. She blew them out of her eyes.

“Babe, he won't move. He's been a sad sack all day.”

Hunk shrugged. “Let him be. He's heartbroken.”

Lance raised his head off his pillow. “No. I'm tired. If a certain roommate wasn't screwing like rabbits last night, I would've been up earlier.”

“Sorry…” Hunk and Pidge said in unison. Then Pidge hopped on Lance's bed excitedly. “But we were celebrating! We won the SoCal Tech Race!” She flopped backward on the bed.

“I know, Pidge. You told the whole neighborhood yesterday.”

“I'm so excited! We're going Brazil to present our project in October.” She jumped off of Lance's bed and into Hunk's arms. “It's all thanks to my brilliant engineer/scientist.” She kissed Hunk and Lance groaned.

“I'm very happy for you guys...but can you please take your raging hormones out of my room?” Pidge stuck up her middle finger.

“Fine.” She walked out but Hunk stayed positioned by Lance's doorway. Noticing he didn't leave, Lance picked up his head.

“What?”

“She's right you know.” Hunk moved in closer and sat on the edge of his bed. “You can't hide in here forever.”

“I'm not hiding...I'm just-”

“-tired. I know.” Hunk glanced around his room. “Are you coming to our party tonight or will you still be tired?”

“I'll come.” Lance moaned and tucked his head under his blankets. “Keith won't be there, will he?”

“See? You are hiding.” Hunk ripped his blankets back. Lance sat up straight.

“What do you expect, Hunk? I told him the truth. I told him how I felt and he still thought I was lying. I need to get over him, but I don't want to be with just anyone because that's how I got in the Nyma situation.” Lance pouted. “I'm stuck.”

Hunk sighed. “I'm sorry, dude. I don't know what to say. Just…” He stood up from the bed. “Don't do anything stupid, okay?” Lance nodded and waited until Hunk left his room before taking out his phone. Hunk warned him not to do anything stupid, but the truth was, he needed something incredibly dumb to get his mind off of Keith and at the same time make him incredibly jealous.

He pulled up the message thread between him and his friend Rolo.

 **Lance** (16:56) : Hey I need a favor. You can say no if not

 **Rolo** (16:56) : What's up?

 **Lance** (16:57) : Okay I need to get wasted and fucked tonight. Will you do the honors?

It was a risky text, but knowing Rolo, he was always down for anything with no strings attached. Lance was nervous about what he was going to say, but Rolo finally messaged back.

 **Rolo** (17:04) : It's about fucking time.

 **Lance** (17:06) : Cool, I'll meet you at Hunk and Pidge's party

Lance sighed. He hoped he wasn't going to regret this. He needed Keith out of his brain. Hopefully Rolo would do just that for him.

 

…

 

Keith left his class stuffing his essay in his backpack. He didn't do so well but he figured that sounded about right. His mind had been off in La-La-Land that he hardly focused on any other class.

The last big task of the day was meeting with Lance about their project. But Keith didn't want to be the one to text first. He was walking, staring down at his phone when he bumped into someone walking the opposite direction. “Sorry.” He mumbled when he noticed the Asian professor with the ridiculous comb-over. “Professor Ryu. I'm sorry.” He said a bit louder.

Professor only smiled. “It's okay, Mr. Kogane.” He was about to walk away but he stopped. “By the way, I like what I'm seeing so far.” Keith raised his eyebrow.

“Excuse me?”

“Your project. Your partner sent me the finished results. And so far, it's looking excellent.”

Keith's mouth opened. “I didn't know he sent it already.”

“It's okay, you still have a day left before it's due so if I see anything wrong, I'll just send it back. But what I've seen so far, it's very promising.” Professor Ryu patted him on the back. “Keep up the good work.” He walked off leaving Keith dumbfounded. A grin crept on his face.

“Damn you, Lance.” He said fondly. His phone ringing interrupted his thoughts.

“Yeah?”

“Hey!” Pidge greeted. “You're not doing anything tonight right?”

Keith shrugged. “Well, not anymore.”

“Good. Cause you're coming to my party.”

“Pidge, you know I don't do parties.”

“Come on! It'll be your first. It's the only one I care about.”

“Pidge…”

“Hey, Hunk and I worked our asses off this year to win this. You're coming, okay?”

Keith grinned. He knew not to cross paths with Pidge.

“Fine. Will Lance be there?”

Pidge giggled. “Why?” She sang.

“Cool it. I just need to talk to him.”

“Yeah,” Pidge said with a smile on her voice. “He'll be there. So your ass better be there too. My house. 10p.m.”

“Fine, fine. See you soon.”

Keith hung up the phone. For once he felt a little relieved. He was still nervous to talk to Lance later, but he needed to thank him for finishing the project. Hopefully they'd talk without ripping each other’s heads off. Keith walked out the building, ready to call an Uber home when he saw a familiar black SUV parked right out front. He put away his phone. He knew it was for him.

Keith saddled inside and Shiro didn't even glance up. “We need to talk.” He said softly. He started up the car and drove off. Keith glanced over to him. He drove with one arm draped out the window while the other carelessly steered. Keith had been afraid to talk so he chose not to.

It was silent the whole ride home. He could tell Shiro was fuming. He usually kept a lid on his anger, but after getting to know, he knew the telltales signs when Shiro was close to the edge. His lips pursed. His knuckles tightened. But the question stood. Why was he mad? Did he know about him and Lance last night?

Shiro parked the car in front of Keith's apartment. He took a staggered long breath and his shoulders relaxed. Keith stared out the window. The clouds were overcast. It was about to rain. It seemed fitting to his emotions right about now.

“You said I had nothing to worry about.” Shiro spoke up. Keith watched the first trickle of rain fall down the window. “You lied to me.” Keith didn't speak, maybe Shiro wanted him to but he couldn't bring himself to open his mouth. “Why couldn't you just be honest with me?” Keith glanced over to him finally. No doubt he knew about last night. Maybe there were cameras in the gym.

“Shiro I was going to tell you.”

“When? Next week? A year from now?”

“No…” To be honest, Keith didn't know himself. “But it was a one-time thing. I didn't mean to kiss Lance, but I was upset because of the match and then you came with Allura…” Keith trailed off when he noticed Shiro's bewildered face.

“You kissed him last night?” He asked. _Ooooh fuck._ “I was talking about freshman year...you mean to tell me you did it again?” Actually, they did a lot more than that, but there was no way in hell Keith was going to tell him that.

“...Yes.” Keith croaked. His eyes moved from hurt look in Shiro's eyes to the rain-littered dashboard. _I'm the absolute worst._ “I'm sorry. I was upset and Lance came to console me and I was just mad. Then you came with Allura-”

“-and Lance came with Nyma?” Keith's eyes widened.

“What? No- I didn't-”

“Keith…” Shiro finally touched his hand. Keith breathed relief. He thought Shiro was too upset with him to make physical contact. “It's okay.”

“It's not okay. I kissed another guy. I'm the worst boyfriend ever. I...I cheated on you. I'm sorry, Shiro.”

Shiro smiled brokenly and caressed his face. “I think I have the title of worst boyfriend ever. I've kept you a secret for an entire year. It wasn't far to you. I'm sorry, Keith.” Shiro's eyes glossed over. His thumb smoothed over Keith's chin. “I love you.”

Keith knitted his brows together. “Then why does this feel like goodbye?” Shiro gave his cheek a light squeeze before letting go.

“We both saw this coming, Keith.”

“What? No…” Keith felt like the rug was ripped from underneath him. “Is this because of Lance? I told you it was a fluke. It didn't mean anything.” Shiro raised his eyebrow. “What? It's true. He's loud, annoying, and I hate him.”

“Keith.” Shiro chided.

“Did something happen between you and Allura?”

“What? No…” Shiro shook his head. “Look, Keith. I know that you love me.”

“I do, Shiro. I really do. You're so good to me. You helped me. You were always there for me. And I love you-”

“-but you don't love me like you love him.” Keith stilled. Was that true? He had a portion of his heart that had love for Shiro. Then there was this weird, warped section of his heart where Lance was and it caused him to be irritated, pissed off, but at the same time weak in the knees, worried, safe, warm, and hopelessly enamored. That couldn't be love. But thinking about all the times he spent with Lance, he never wanted to leave him even if he pissed him off to no end. “I'm right, aren't I?” Shiro asked.

A tear fell down Keith's cheek. “This is so fucked up.” He said mostly to himself. He glanced over to Shiro. “I'm trying to hate him, Shiro. I want to hate him, but I...I just can't.” He sobbed. “I'm so sorry.” He whispered.

He didn't expect to hear Shiro's seat belt unbuckle and he definitely didn't expect to feel his buff arms wrapped around him in hug. Shiro chuckled lightly. “Keith, you're in love with him and no doubt about it, that boy loves you. I see the way you act around each other. You become this happier beautiful person. And Lance brings that out in you. Not me.” Shiro rubbed his head and kissed his bangs. “Don't ruin a good thing just because you're afraid.”

“But I am afraid, Shiro. I don't want to leave you. I'm safe with you. There's no surprises. I know how you feel about me and I feel about you.”

“Keith, that's a terrible reason to stay with someone.” He pulled back and wiped the wetness from his cheeks. “I want you to stay with me because you love me. Not because I'm the safer choice.”

“But-”

“No, Keith. I won't be your safety net anymore. I love you...always.” Shiro enveloped him in a hug again. “So, I have to let you go.” Keith buried his face in Shiro's neck.

“I don't want to. Just stay with me, Shiro.” He muffled. Shiro let a few tears escape his eyes before pulling back.

“You deserve to be with someone you really love. And it's Lance.” The pain swelled up in Keith's chest. Shiro had the courage to say and do what he was afraid of the most. He pulled Shiro a little closer until their lips met. He kissed him softly before releasing.

“I'm sorry, Shiro.”

“Me, too.”

They hugged one more time, silently listening to the rain hit the roof of the car. Although this break up tore up Keith on the inside, he felt renewed walking away from the SUV and into his house. Saying goodbye was never easy, but he knew it had to be done.

 

…

 

Lance showed up to Pidge's house decked out in an all black suit, his button up underneath scandalously unbuttoned to show off his collarbone. His hair was gelled back. He wore sunglasses all though it was close to midnight. He knew he looked like biggest douchebag, but if Keith dubbed him as a fuckboy, he had to look the part. All he needed was a cheesy gold medallion.

By the time Lance showed up, the party was already in full swing. Pidge's house was huge. Lance had only been there a few times and each time he forgot how loaded her parents were. Lance spotted Hunk in the kitchen placing out more chips and salsa.

“Dude, remind me again why Pidge always crashes at our place when it should definitely be the other way around.” Lance called above the music. Hunk barely heard, but when he turned around to see Lance's get-up, he cracked up laughing, nearly dropping the huge bowl of tortilla chips in his hands.

“What's all of this?” Hunk giggled. He plucked Lance's collar. “Dude, Miami Vice called.”

Lance waved him off. “Yeah. Yeah. It's supposed to be joke.” Hunk raised his eyebrow at him.

“I told you not to do anything stupid tonight.”

Lance shrugged and took a chip out the bowl. “Too late. I have a date tonight.”

“Who? Nyma?” Hunk grinned as he poured salsa into a bowl. Lance grinned and shook his head.

“Nope. Rolo.” Hunk froze and gazed up to Lance.

“Rolo is a guy.” Lance nodded his head. “A very gay guy.”

“Yep.”

“Lance,” Hunk whispered. “I thought you'd go public when you had someone worthwhile.” Lance shrugged.

“I don't know if you noticed but my plans don't really work out the way I want them to. So now, I'm just winging it. Tonight, I get drunk and Rolo can do whatever he wants to me.” Hunk grimaced.

“That falls in the ‘doing something stupid’ category, Lance.”

“Sure does.” Lance mixed his own drink from the line of alcohol on the counter and downed it. Hunk eyed him up and down.

“Don't come to me when this blows up in your face.”

“Don't worry, I will.” Lance's phone pinged.

“No Lance, I said _don't_ come to me…” Hunk corrected but Lance paid him no attention. He got a message from Rolo.

 **Rolo** (23:36) : I'm here.

Lance grinned to his skeptical friend. “My date’s here. Gotta go.” He ruffed Hunk's hair up and Hunk growled at him. “Smile! Have fun! It's a celebration!” Lance ran off to meet Rolo at the door despite Hunk's protests from the kitchen.

He nearly toppled over Pidge as hurried to the door. He was so caught up that he didn't even notice Keith standing on the steps that led upstairs. “What the hell, Lance?” She angrily glared at him but it was soon replaced with a goofy smile. “What in the world?” She laughed. Keith smirked as Lance showed off his suit. “What the hell are you wearing?” Pidge asked.

“Isn't it obvious?” Lance lifted his sunglasses and winked at Keith. “I'm a _straight fuckboy.”_ The smile erased from Keith's face and he furrowed his brows. “Now, if you excuse me, I need to get my date.” Keith squinted his eyes even more now. Lance opened the front door and Rolo stood on the stoop and waved his hand.

“Oh shit…” He heard Pidge say behind him. Lance made sure to glance back to see the shocked and hurt look on Keith's face.

“Sorry. I meant to say _bisexual fuckboy.”_ He pulled Rolo inside and immediately led him to the living room area where the music was the loudest. He quickly got a shot for Rolo from the circulating tray going around the crowd of people and Rolo downed it in a second. Lance didn't hesitate to keep his eye on Keith, still visibly standing on the steps with crossed arms. Lance smirked and started grinding on Rolo as soon as the music changed.

“Damn, Lance.” He muttered and held Lance's hips in place. Lance shook his ass to the beat with a grin plastered on his face. He lifted his head up and Keith was definitely glaring. _Good, he's mad. Let's get him pissed._ Lance turned around and started grinding down Rolo’s front, shamelessly teasing him with his body. And Rolo bought into it. He had no idea he was just a pawn. “Dance for me, baby.” He crooned. Lance smiled.

“Anything for you.” He glanced to see the look on Keith's face, but he wasn't standing there anymore. Lance quickly scanned the crowd of people for him, but he didn't have a chance. Rolo quickly spun him around, lifting his Lance's leg up and grinding onto him. He had a queasy feeling in his stomach as Rolo’s bulge rubbed up against his. It didn't feel right. He felt dirty. He wanted to stop, but he needed to stay committed to this fuckboy persona to mess with Keith.

He was okay until Rolo pulled him closer, grinding faster then he held Lance's jaw. He leaned closer and puckered his lips. Fear flooded his stomach, but he had to follow through no matter how much didn't want to. And he _really_ didn't want to. He let Rolo do all the work to lean in. He barely poked out his lips when he suddenly felt a hand in his.

In a second, he was being pulled violently from Rolo’s embrace and being tugged through the tight space of dancing bodies. He glanced down to the pale hand in his as it led him up the steps and they didn't stop until they reached what was presumably Pidge's old room.

Keith slammed the door behind them. He breathed heavily and turned back to Lance. “What the fuck is your problem?”

“I'm sorry? My problem? You just pulled my away from my date.”

“You were basically just dry humping!” Lance shrugged.

“I'm just doing what us _fuckboys_ do. Right?” Keith rolled his eyes.

“Lance, stop.” He whispered.

“No, you stop this shit, Keith. You can't control what I do. Or who i do it with.” Lance eyed him. “What are you doing here anyway? I thought parties weren't your thing.”

“I came to talk to you.” Lance shrugged and sat on Pidge's old alien themed bed.

“Well, I'm here. Talk.” Keith sighed seeing Lance cross his legs and fold his arms.

“Could you stop being an ass for just one minute?”

Lance rolled his eyes and stood up. “Nice talk. See you later.” He went for the door, but Keith blocked him. “What?”

“I'm sorry. I just…” Keith wasn't sure what he needed to say but Lance was losing his patience.

“Keith, you can't do this.” He said tiredly. “I told you how I feel but you didn't listen. So now…” He sighed. “I need to move on.” Keith's eyes widened.

“You said you love me.”

“What do you want from me, Keith? I do. But you don't. And I can't just be this pining hopeless mess while you date Shiro. I need to get over you.”

Keith rushed Lance into a hug, holding him tightly like his life depended on it. Lance's arms refused to hug him back. If he did, he'd fall all over and he just couldn't do it, but then Keith spoke in a tiny broken whisper. “Don't...don't give up on me.” He nuzzled into Lance's neck. Lance unthinkingly brought his arms down and caressed Keith's waist.

“Keith...I have to. You're still with Shiro.”

“We broke up.” He said quickly. Lance stepped back and held Keith at arms lengths.

“Why?”

Keith squinted his eyes. “What do you mean, why?”

“Did you break up because you love me?” Lance needed to know for himself, but Keith hesitated. When he didn't answer, Lance let go of him and reached for the door. “I wonder if Rolo is still here.”

“Wait, no!” Keith held him taut. “Okay, yes. You were the reason. This isn't easy for me, Lance.”

“It's not easy for me either.” Lance said, he intertwined his fingers with Keith. “You hurt me, Keith. You thought you protecting yourself but you were just pushing me away when I wanted to be close to you. And that shit hurt.”

“I'm sorry-”

“-Are you really? I mean, what made me so different from Shiro? You believed him when he said he liked you. Why didn't you believe me?”

“I don't-”

“-Was it because he was hotter than me?”

“What? No.”

“More masculine? More popular? More mature? What?” Keith released his fingers from Lance.

“No, it was none of that.”

“Then what?”

“It was because it was you.” Lance knitted his brows together.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“You were too close, Lance. What I felt for Shiro was just a crush, but it was different with you. I had nothing to lose with Shiro. If it didn't work, it would hurt, but I'd be okay. But if things didn't work out with you. It was scary to think that far ahead.”

“Because you thought I'd just leave you for Nyma?” Keith nodded in agreement, then added.

“Any girl really.” Lance smirked and rubbed his arms.

“ _Stop_ thinking like that. How many times do I have to tell you? I want you, Keith. Yes, I'm bisexual. I'm attracted to girls. And I'm attracted to guys. But there's only one person I want and that's you.”

Keith fumbled with his Lance's thick collar. “So you didn't give up on me?” Lance smirked and locked his arms around Keith's waist.

“It's kinda hard to do when you're so damn irresistible.” Keith pouted.

“I'm not. I fuck up. Like all the time.” Lance held Keith tighter.

“You sure do.” He said softly, gazing at Keith's lips.

“And I'm a hot head. With a bad temper.” Keith had lowered his voice so Lance leaned closer.

“The worst kind.”

“And I get scared a lot.”

“I know baby.” Keith smiled inwardly at the pet name. Lance’s lips hovered before Keith's.

“Don't hurt me, okay?” Keith whispered and Lance responded immediately.

“I promise.”

Not even a second later, Lance's lips were on Keith's, but they really couldn't tell who acted first. Keith held Lance's face in his hands and kissed him passionately while Lance's hand roamed up and down Keith's back. Lance tilted his head to give Keith a better angle and before long, Lance had hiked Keith around his waist. He didn't realize how strong he was. Or maybe Keith was just light? But anyway he looked at it, it didn't matter. Keith's legs tightened around his waist and Lance fumbled back to Pidge's bed. Keith pressed quick kisses along Lance's jaw. He was about to unbutton his shirt but he stopped. He became aware that they were in their friend's childhood bedroom, about to have sex for the first time. “My apartment isn't far from here.” He offered. Lance sat up, holding him in his lap.

“Let's go to my place.” Lance said. He kissed Keith's Adam's apple. “Then in the morning, I want to make you breakfast. Naked.” He grinned against Keith's neck and Keith chuckled.

“That's really not hygienic.” Lance shrugged.

“Don't care, baby. It's happening.” Keith lifted Lance's head with a smirk. He never had a guy request going back to their place, much less make him breakfast. He knew Lance was different. He kissed him and he felt like he put his heart and soul into it. Lance broke apart to fumble with his phone to get an Uber. “It should be here in 5 mins.”

To avoid going downstairs and hearing Hunk and Pidge's mouth about them leaving together (plus Rolo was still there), Keith had the idea to climb down the fire escape beside Pidge's window. They didn't really think it all through because by that time, the rain was falling relentlessly. By the time their Uber came, they were soaked, completely ruining the Uber’s leather seats with water. Lance made sure to give them a good review.

They hightailed it to Lance's front door through the freezing rain. Once inside, they quickly slipped off their wet shoes. Lance hurried to turn up the heat as Keith stood in the living room, dripping water on the the plush tan carpet. He gawked at the tornado of papers, metal parts, and materials strewn about the living room. “Excuse the mess!” Lance called from the kitchen where the thermostat was. “Hunk and Pidge were doing last minute touches to their project.”

Keith heard Lance scavenging through cabinets. He froze by the couch, afraid to make even more of a mess in Lance's usually pristine apartment. “What was their project anyway?” He called.

“I think some robotic A.I. thingy. I'm not sure. But they named it Rover. I asked Pidge what were the chances of Rover becoming sentient and destroying us all. She said it's 50/50.” Keith chuckled.

“I like those odds.”

Suddenly Keith heard a speaker play from the kitchen, a familiar tune. A piano played beautifully with a presumptuous teenage boy singing over it. A smile flickered on Keith's face. It grew wider when he felt Lance's arms suddenly wrap over his wet shoulders from behind him. At first he thought he had a blanket, but then realized it was a plush towel. They swayed softly as Lance dried Keith gently. “We didn't get to finish our dance, I don't think.”

Keith turned in his arms. “Oh God, this isn't going to be our song is it?” He asked slyly but Lance just smiled at him with a half-lidded look. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Lance wiped Keith's damp bangs from his face. “I know I said it already. And it might sound crazy, but it's three years in the making…” He kissed Keith's cold lips. “I just love you.” He held his jaw in his palm. “You're so beautiful and so deserving of love. You're a king.”

Keith moved his chin from Lance's grasp. He wished his blush would disappear, but that queasy feeling he felt in the pit of stomach showed no sign of leaving. Especially not with the way Lance looked at him. “Lance…” He muttered and gazed at the wet spots on the carpet.

“No, just listen. It's true. And it burns me up that asshole guys took advantage of you.” Keith looked up to him. “I want you to feel loved.” He kissed his jaw. “Every…” He kissed under his ear. “Part…” His nose. “Of you…” He ended on his mouth. Keith took a deep breath.

“How?” He asked. Suddenly, Lance picked Keith up around his waist. Keith gasped, but tightened his grip on his shoulders.

“Can I?” Lance whispered. Keith didn't know why he felt so nervous. They almost had sex multiple times, but this was the first time he felt...anxious. Maybe because before, it was just the heat of the moment. All they had was pure animalistic lust to chase after. But now, he could see the pure love in Lance's eyes and for once, he felt exposed.

Keith nodded his head. “Yes.”

*

Lance ushered him to his room. He kept the lights off, all they had was pale moonlight from the window and the tinkle of rain hitting the shutters outside. Lance softly sat Keith on the bed, not caring that his blankets got damp. He slipped Keith's wet shirt over his head. He traced his hand over the muscles on Keith’s chest before pushing him down onto the bed. Lance kissed between his pecs before licking and swirling his tongue around his nipple. Keith moaned and arched his back, his hand found a home at the back of Lance's head, playing with his short curls. Lance worked his way down, hovering over him and placing feathery light kisses all down his stomach until he reached his belt.

Keith stared up at him as Lance unbuckled his belt, very slowly. As soon as he did, Keith shimmied his pants off, leaving him in his soaked boxers. But they didn't stay on for long because Lance quickly discarded those too. Keith was completely naked and he was thankful that the lights were off.

Lance wasted no time. He wrapped his hand around Keith and started to pump. Keith squirmed and bit his lip. Lance smirked. “You're so beautiful.” He bent down to kiss him on the mouth then slinked lower to wrap his mouth over Keith's tip. Keith gasped, tightening his grip on Lance's hair. It encouraged Lance to take him in deeper until Keith's dick reached the back of his throat. He staved off a choke and continued to deep throat him. Keith was a gasping mess, clutching his thighs around Lance's head, but Lance would just push Keith's thigh back down. He came up for air, but then went back down, bobbing his head to make sure he had a decent rhythm for Keith.

“F-fuck.” Keith sighed. Lance popped off and pumped him fast. “Ahh…” Keith moaned. He arched his back and Lance took that as his cue to latch his mouth on again. Lance sucked viciously, hallowing his cheeks. Keith couldn't stay quiet anymore. He groaned to the ceiling and Lance didn't let up until he felt Keith's body clench underneath him and white, warm liquid squirted into his mouth. He coughed, but tried to swallow as much as he could. Keith glanced down, his chest heaving up and down from gasping. “I'm sorry.”

Lance chuckled and kissed the inside of his thigh. “Don't be. It was good.” Keith watched him kiss lower, past his dick, past his balls, until his face disappeared between his legs and he was spreading Keith open with his tongue. Lance licked over his entrance before probing it inside.

Keith had never been eaten out. It was a strange sensation, but it felt like Lance was taking his time. Then Lance began to suck and Keith’s ass lifted off the mattress, but Lance hooked his hands on his thighs and pulled him closer, burying his face deeper and sucked on his hole like he was hungry. “Ah! Son of a bitch! Lance! _Ahhh...shit!”_ Lance lapped at it, soon bringing his finger to the mix. He dipped it inside, curving it slightly to search for Keith's special spot.

Keith's body continued to squirm, but Lance held him taut from slinking away. “No, you don't.” He brought up a second finger once he felt like Keith's hole loosened up enough. Keith's face twisted and Lance slowed down. “You okay?” Keith huffed and peeked at Lance. Keith nodded his head and reached down to where Lance's fingers were still inside him. He pushed it in further and his head tilted back, a garbled moan escaping his mouth.

“Fuck me, Lance. Just do it.” Keith pleaded and his desperate cry went straight to Lance's dick.

“I only did two fingers, you aren't ready.”

“I am. Just lube up. Please...I can't wait anymore. I need you.” Keith sounded desperate, but sure. Lance would just have to take it slow. He hurried to strip out of his fuckboy outfit. Keith sat up to help him unbutton his shirt and take off his pants.

Once Lance was naked, Keith flipped him onto his back and straddled him. He consumed him in a passionate kiss before sitting back. He could feel Lance's thick erection resting against his ass. He was about to ask Lance where the lube was when Lance brought it out from stashed under his mattress. He gave it to Keith who coated his hole while Lance quickly put on a condom.

Keith felt Lance's cock for the first time. He didn't realize how big he was in the darkness, but holding Lance's dick in his hand as he lubed him up, he had second thoughts on stretching a little more.

He bent behind him and massaged three fingers into his entrance. He moaned and Lance chuckled. “Too big for you?” He mused and took over for him. He took Keith's three fingers out and replaced it with his own. “I just want you to be comfortable.” Keith grunted and leaned over as Lance stretched him.

 _“Yeah...there.”_ He encouraged Lance. After a few more seconds, he perked up straighter even though Lance's fingers still worked him. “Alright. I'm ready.”

“You sure?” Lance chided. Keith gave him a playful kiss while he lined his hole up to Lance's dick. With no warning, he slowly sunk down. “Fuck, Keith!”

“Ah!” Keith screamed to the ceiling then gritted his teeth. He suddenly raised himself back up. “Can I ask a favor?”

Confused that he stopped, Lance propped himself up on his elbows. “Yeah anything.”

“Can we do no condom?”

“What? Why not?”

“I want you to come inside me. I promise I have no diseases. I just really want you inside me.” Lance blinked. Never in a million years would Lance imagine that Keith would say something like that to him. Lance only dumbly nodded and slipped off the condom.

Keith kissed him once more as he sunk back onto his Lance's cock. He huffed as a string of curses escaped his mouth. It was a completely different sensation for Lance. He could feel Keith clench around him. It happened even more frequently when Keith started to bounce. Lance thrusted up into him and their hips met in a clash of flesh on flesh. Keith rocked him and rode him. Lance had no idea that Keith would be so vocal. He wasn't so much as saying coherent words anymore, but just yelps and moans directed to the ceiling.

Lance held Keith's hips when he started to lose his rhythm. He reached between his legs and Keith was already hard again. Lance simultaneously pumped him and thrusted up into him. Keith slumped backward, letting the euphoria crashed over him. He still slammed down on Lance's cock sloppily, but he was starting to come undone. Especially with Lance still pumping him like that. His body contracted.

“Fuck, Lance. I'm gonna come! Ahh...oh shit. Oh shit oh shit!” Keith cried out as he painted Lances bare chest with sticky white wetness. Keith's body shook as his orgasm wrecked him.

“Damn, that's hot. Come here, baby.” Lance brought Keith forward and he slumped over onto Lance's chest, but Lance kept going, slamming hard into him. Keith was spent, but he cradled Lance's head in his arms, kissing his forehead and trying his best to push his ass back to meet Lance's thrust. “God, Keith. You feel so good.” Lance suddenly turned Keith to lay on his back again. He lifted one of Keith's legs in the air before entering him again. That position felt much better. He got a steady rhythm and it caused Keith to grasp at the sheets and Lance's torso. Lance propped Keith's foot on his shoulder and buried his dick deeper inside him. Lance keeled over, but kept pushing in and out of him.

“Oh shit…” Keith said softly, his voice was hoarse from screaming. Lance kissed Keith's foot by his head. Keith appreciated that even in a heated moment, Lance gave little touches like kissing his foot while he pounded into him. Or drawing patterns into Keith's skin with his thumb while he ate him out. To Keith, those were little reminders of Lance's love.

Lance set Keith's leg down and snuggled his hips between him, slowing down his thrusts, but not letting up on the force. Lance hovered breathless above Keith's red, flustered face. Lance bit his lip, never breaking eye contact with Keith as his hips stuttered. “ _Oh…”_ Lance gasped and laid flat on Keith's chest.

Keith could feel Lance pulsing inside him, his walls suddenly feeling warmer and squishy. Keith smiled and raked his hand up Lance's broad back and into his hair.

*

After Lance took control of his breathing again, he pulled out of Keith. He propped his elbows up on either side of Keith. He pecked his lips. “I love you.”

Keith chuckled. “I know you do.”

“Who knew you were such a screamer? We're gonna need soundproof walls.” Keith rolled his eyes.

“Whatever. I only scream when it's really good.”

“So it was really good?” Lance leaned closer to Keith's face.

“It was okay.” Lance laughed.

“Sure it was.” Lance kissed him. “Let me get you cleaned up.” He stood up and took most of the warmth with him. He turned on the lamp by his bed and Keith could finally see Lance's room. Surprisingly it wasn't as clean as the rest of the apartment which was good because it humanized Lance a bit.  

Keith stretched in Lance's bed, feeling completely sated. Lance was by his drawer getting out a washcloth. Keith smiled at him and saw in the lamp’s golden light his tight little caramel butt. Keith chuckled then stopped when he saw a familiar item on the dresser. He sat up in the bed. “You kept it?”

Lance glanced back at him then followed Keith's gaze to the red Beekeeper’s Club hat that sat as decoration on Lance's dresser. Lance chuckled. “Oh yeah. Of course.”

“But that was over a year ago.”

Lance shrugged. “Well yeah. But i don't know if you knew, but I kinda had a thing for you.” He waved the washcloth. “I'll be back.” Lance left out the room and Keith just stared at the hat.

For some reason, Keith thought that if he hid his feelings for Lance, they would just go away. He went on for 3 years thinking that, yet Lance was honest from the beginning. That hat. That stupid hat proved it. It was dumb but Lance kept it because it was memory between them. He didn't pretend it didn't happen and throw it away (which Keith would've done). He held onto it because he loved Keith.

And in a strange moment, as Lance came back into the room to wash the sticky post-sex gunk off of him, Keith knew what was there all along. He was stupidly in love with Lance. He always had been.

“What's wrong?” Lance paused wiping down Keith's chest. “Did I hurt you?” Keith stared at him quizzically. Then it dawned on him that he was crying.

“No, you didn't.” Keith smiled at him warmly and held Lance's hand to stop him from washing him. “I'm in love with you, Lance.”

A goofy grin spread on his face. “You _love me.”_ Lance sang. Keith rolled his eyes.

“I already regret it.”

“Uh-uh. No take backs.” Lance gave him a chaste kiss and responded seriously. “You know I love you, too.”

“Oh, really? I had no idea.” Lance grimaced.

“Smartass. Fine. Clean your own self up.” He tossed the damp washcloth at Keith who just laughed.

“Okay, I'm sorry.” He giggled and pressed soft kisses to Lance's knuckles. “Clean me...please...baby?” Keith smirked at the infliction in his voice when he called him baby.

Lance grinned and crawled on top of him. “Baby, huh?”

“Yeah... _baby.”_ Keith howled in laughter as Lance tickled his sides, while calling him dozens of pet names in Spanish.

 

…

 

The next morning, Keith felt like he was in another dream. For starters, Keith was in Lance's bed. Naked. Secondly, an aroma of bacon filled the air and his stomach kicked. He thought he'd feel the warmth of Lance's body behind him, but when he sat up the bed was empty. His wet clothes that were tossed on the floor last night were gone. Instead a set of space themed pajamas sat at the edge of the bed.

A yellow Post-It sat on top of it that read: Wear me :)

Keith chuckled. _Can he get any cheesier?_ Once he was dressed, he stepped out the room to only expect to see Lance cooking him breakfast like he promised. But instead he saw Lance laid on the couch, fighting over the remote with Pidge while Hunk whistled and flipped bacon in the kitchen. It was weird to wake up this way, but strangely it made Keith feel warm.

“Why do we have to watch that, Pidge? You have your own fucking mansion. Go watch t.v. over there!” Lance complained as he struggled to take the remote from her.

“No I don't want…” Her voice trailed off when she saw Keith standing in Lance's doorway with bedhead, wearing Lance's pajamas. She cracked a smile. She glimpsed over to Lance then back over Keith connecting the dots. She guffawed. “It's about fucking time!”

Lance and Keith simultaneously blushed. Hunk peered from the kitchen to see the commotion. He hooted as he poured mix into the waffle maker. “Congrats to the happy couple!” He paused and stepped out the kitchen. “Lance, is that why you wanted me to make breakfast?”

Lance grinned. “I promised Keith breakfast. And you're a much better cook, Hunk.”

Hunk grimaced and returned back to the kitchen, calling over his shoulder. “You're lucky I like Keith. You, Lance, not so much.”

Keith sat down on the couch and whispered to Lance with a smirk. “Technically, you promised to make breakfast naked.” Pidge overheard.

“Oh shit, Lance.” She patted him on the back and laughed. Keith joined in but their laughing was cut short when Hunk forced Lance to come make the eggs and he begrudgingly went.

As soon as he was gone, Pidge inched closer to Keith on the couch. “When did you dump the stiff?” Keith's eyes widened.

“What?” She nudged him.

“You know...Shiro the Immaculate.” Keith kept his voice down in case Hunk overheard.

“You knew?”

Pidge scoffed and tip a sip of her tea. “You insult me. You're my best friend. It's my business to know. In fact, I knew about it before you even did.” Keith nodded. That sounded about right. “So...When did you two break up?”

“Yesterday.”

“Whoa, and you're already riding L. Mcclain Express?” Keith pretended to gag.

“Dear God. Don't call it that.” Pidge laughed. “Besides it wasn't like that.”

“Yeah, yeah. You and Lance were always in love.” Keith raised his eyebrow.

“Let me guess, you knew that too.” Pidge chuckled.

“Oh, hell yeah.”

“Lance, come back and finish your eggs!” Hunk called. Lance suddenly appeared at the back of the couch with his phone outstretched in front of him and Keith. He surprised Keith with a kiss on the cheek and a quick snap of his camera. “Lance, if you burn eggs in my kitchen…”

“I'm coming, dammit.” He called back while staring at his phone screen. “Oh this is cute.” He said and showed Keith and Pidge the picture. Keith had a cute shocked expression while Lance smooched his cheek.

“What are you doing?” Keith asked. Lance typed quickly on his phone and Keith's phone pinged. He glanced down and saw he had a notification. Lance tagged him in a picture.

“What's it look like?” He bent over the couch until he was in Keith's face. “I'm showing you off, baby.” Lance then kissed him nice and slow, leaving Keith breathless.

“Lance!” Hunk called. Lance rolled his eyes.

“I'm coming, Mr. Ramsay.” Lance hopped back up and went off to the kitchen again. Pidge watched the whole thing happen and a faint smile was painted on her face.

“You two are going to be so annoying, i can tell...but also kinda cute.” She took another sip of tea. “I'm glad you're finally together.

  
Keith glanced down to his phone and looked at the tagged photo of him and Lance. His boyfriend. His _public_ boyfriend. And good God did it feel good to finally say that.

**Author's Note:**

> And there it is! Our boys lived happily ever after...
> 
> Well actually not, there's more to come. More secrets to unveil *evil laughter* 
> 
> Please let me know how I did! I'd really appreciate it!


End file.
